Detroit — Dressed in slacks and a sport coat, Ish Smith felt powerless. While his teammates struggled through their toughest part of the season, he could only sit back and watch, the best-dressed cheerleader on a Pistons squad that needed its difference-maker.
Smith, recovering from a groin injury, could only watch from the bench and lend his vocal support. The Pistons had started the season 13-9 through Dec. 5 and in the 23-point loss at Milwaukee, Smith sustained a groin injury that turned the Pistons’ season.
Night after night, during a 19-game stretch, Smith put on a sport coat and a happy face, masking the frustration he was feeling knowing that the Pistons were weaker without him.