In the NBA, there is a type of player called a “ronin player”, who wanders around and changes teams constantly. Their contracts are often very cheap, making them a bargaining chip or temporary labor for the team. Mention such a player, you may think of Gerald Green, Jeff Green or Joe Smith, but you may not think of Ish Smith. He is the player with the most teams in NBA history, and his career is like a never-ending journey. However, in such a journey, he has always maintained his enthusiasm, hard work and speed, and this season he will challenge the championship…
In the last article, a noun “Enforcer” was mentioned, that is, a bodyguard, so this time I will also introduce a word “Journeyman”.
Journeyman, translated into Chinese as “employment, short-term labor”, in the NBA refers to those players who lead short-term contracts and change one team following another. Such players, we usually jokingly call them “ronin players”, because they live like ronin and can sign anywhere. Therefore, the term Journeyman is naturally tied to Ronin, and generally refers to players who have changed teams many times in their careers.
So, when it comes to Ronin players, who do you think of first? It may be “Nine Fingers Slam Dunk King” Gerald Green, it may be “Heart Fighter” Jeff Green, or even the older generation of fans may think of “Jersey Collector” Joe Smith. (Extended reading: The King of Ronin, the NBA player who has worn the most branded jerseys)
But the Ish Smith I’m going to talk regarding in this article is different, because following being traded to the Nuggets, he has worn 13 jerseys so far. He is the player who has stayed in the most teams in the history of the NBA. The night of defeat begins…
In order to stay here, I have to prove that I can play.
In terms of physical condition, Smith, who is only 6 feet (regarding 183 centimeters) and 79 kilograms, is like a thin dwarf in the NBA arena. The proud speed and cutting have been questioned by confrontation. Many ball critics believe that such a guard will only have to eat following facing a higher-intensity collision. The outside line that makes a living is not in Smith’s skill package. He only shot 30% of the three-pointers in four years of college. Only speed, no height, no size, no perimeter, no developmental senior players, all kinds of unfavorable factors contributed to the ending of Smith’s loss, but Smith did not give up because of the loss. He chose to participate in the summer league and won the rest. The favor of the Houston Rockets.
Speed is the biggest advantage that Smith can survive. He serves as the third point guard following Kyle Lowry and Aaron Brooks. Living space, he also stated in interviews that he likes the city of Houston and wants to develop here permanently.
However, things often don’t go as planned.
At that time, I saw Shane Battier was traded on the news and wanted to call him to care regarding him.
As a result, I received a call in the next second, saying that I was also traded together.
My thought was: “What? I thought it was a single exchange! Why isn’t my name on the news?”
Before the rookie season was over, Smith, who wanted to repay his kindness, was traded to the Grizzlies. What’s even more sad is that he didn’t even deserve a name in this transaction, just a package to match his salary.
Over the next few seasons, Smith’s career seemed to enter a kind of cycle, being signed by one team and cut, then favored by another team, and then not long following that, he was traded, and some of them stayed longer. It was the Phoenix Suns who played 70 games, but then fell into the same cycle. In just five years, Smith has worn the jersey of nine teams.
To sum up the reasons why Smith is homeless, in addition to the defensive and perimeter problems mentioned in the scouting report, another reason is that he is too cheap. The cheap contract makes him a good package, which can be used to balance the salaries of both parties in the transaction. Smith might easily be waived when the team finds a better possession without worrying regarding paying a hefty buyout fee.
It’s been a roller coaster ride since I entered the NBA.
But I don’t think this kind of life is a kind of disturbance to me.
In other words, I take it as a motivation to continue to improve, because when you don’t try your best to complete something, you don’t feel that you are capable of doing it.
Over the years of wandering, Smith began to get used to it. When playing for a new team, he often chooses a short-term rental apartment, or stays in a hotel, or even stays at a friend’s house, even if he earns enough money for him to live in Buying real estate locally, but buying real estate in Houston was immediately traded from the very beginning. Smith would rather use this method than bear the trouble caused by continuous resale. Sometimes following the trade deadline, Smith finds that the new city he’s going to is close to where he is now, and he’ll pack most of his stuff into the car and drive there overnight.
I often use the example of Steve Nash to encourage myself.
He also did not have a very outstanding performance in the first three or four years of his career, and then he became popular.