Los Angeles Lakers rightfully staying away from J.R. Smith
J.R. Smith was recently waived by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Los Angeles Lakers rightfully appear to be staying away.
On Monday afternoon, the Cleveland Cavaliers finally waived J.R. Smith. There has been talks about him being waived for the last few weeks. When the news came out many believed the Los Angeles Lakers would be a team to pursue the veteran guard.
Smith is now an unrestricted free agent and can go to a team of his liking. There are reports stating that the Lakers will not go after Smith. Truthfully told it’s for the best of both parties.
The Lakers no longer need his services like they did a few weeks back, when they had only a handful of players under contract. Smith at 33-years-old is only a shell of himself. He is no longer the player who was able to score 20 on any given night. The player, who was also a big time athlete.
The average NBA fan remembers Smith from that unfortunate situation in game one of the 2018 NBA Finals. With a few seconds to play, Smith dribbled out the clock after grabbing an offensive rebound instead of getting a shot up. The game was tied, and they went on to lose in overtime.
Aside from some head-scratching plays and questionable shots, Smith has had a good career. Smith has won a Sixth Man of the Year award in 2013. He has career averages of 12.5 points and 3.2 rebounds.
At one point the Lakers were desperate for shooting. That’s where Smith would’ve contributed. Smith is a career 37% from three-point range. Smith is a guy who has played on the biggest stage alongside LeBron James. The pair won a title in 2016. He’s ninth all-time in playoff threes (288).
After losing out on Kawhi Leonard, the Lakers went hunting for some shooters. The Lakers signed Troy Daniels, Quinn Cook, Jared Dudley, Danny Green, and Avery Bradley. The five players are all above 36% from deep in their respective careers.
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This version of Smith won’t be reliable at anything else. He isn’t quick enough to defend at a respectable level like before, and doesn’t do much playmaking. A team can surely use Smith for some shooting. The Lakers aren’t one of those teams.
Hopefully, Smith gets his NBA career back on track after missing the majority of 2018-19 with a toe injury and being removed from the Cavaliers rotation.