J.R. Smith finally did something that his fans wanted him to do since Thursday…SHOOT THE BALL!
There are some members of the Lake Show Life staff that is biased when it comes to J.R. Smith (The writer is at the top of the list!). The support that has come from the website could be considered over the top, to be honest. The site has been monitoring Smith for a while.
- Los Angeles Lakers: J.R. Smith is just what the Lakers needed!
- Los Angeles Lakers: Avery Bradley is out for Orlando, J.R. Smith in?
- Los Angeles Lakers: J.R. Smith leads vets in “Last Chance” in Orlando!
- Lakers Rumors: The Lakers need to do the right thing and sign J.R. Smith!
- Lakers Rumors: The guy who really broke the J.R.Smith workout story!
So yes, the site has been pushing the narrative that the Los Angeles Lakers needing to sign J.R. Smith is an understatement. But it’s games like this that J.R. Smith will be a factor in the postseason.
Swish swishing 💨
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) July 27, 2020
(📺: @SpectrumSN) pic.twitter.com/wU96k8JhEX
J.R. Smith may do some strange things at times (Like going on IG Live to complain about bubble conditions or the 2018 Finals thing.) but this dude can flat out shoot the ball. When he gets hot, you can forget it. Put up any opportunity for him to look at the rim and it can go in. No seriously!
https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1287856274948927488
Smith didn’t get off to the best start in the NBA bubble. He made plays here and there but he basically forgot his biggest strength. SHOOTING! It seemed that he was so focused on fitting in and making plays, he just wasn’t comfortable. For the first two games, it actually looked like Smith hadn’t played meaningful basketball in two years.
With the comfort of steady minutes, Smith finally got going and scored a team-high 14 points in the first half. He then kept the stroke finishing the game with 20 points on 6-9 shooting. He also found time to add 5 rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench.
Going into the season, J.R.’s challenge will be putting up timely shots like these in spot minutes. With LeBron and AD coming back, 25 minutes will be a rarity if at all. But it was fun to see the vintage J.R. Smith put on a show from the 3 point line.
Did someone say show?