Dion Waiters and J.R. Smith can play a meaningful role for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Come playoff time, a former Cavalier could be the one to hit a big shot in the playoffs for the Los Angeles Lakers; no, not that former Cav, it might be Dion Waiters or J.R. Smith. No one would have thought that when the season was postponed, but in these early bubble scrimmages, they have already shown they can provide a scoring spark off the bench for the Lakers.
Extra bubble stories and memes aside, in their brief run as Lakers, it seems as if they have already helped improve the team chemistry, if that was possible. They have also shown they possess an offensive bag that was just not present on the Lakers bench before their arrival.
They both are streaky players that are never afraid to shoot, and they both can light it up if they catch fire on any given night. J.R. Smith proved that with his six 3-pointers made against Orlando, and Waiters proved it with 39 points combined in three scrimmage games.
In the first two scrimmages, they both showed to be capable to make and create their own shots, something the Lakers have lacked outside of Anthony Davis and LeBron James this season. They even got free reign to take control in the last scrimmage against the Wizards and did not disappoint, with 20 points for Smith and 18 points and six assists for Waiters.
Waiters had only played in three games this season with Miami early in the year prior to the bubble, and J.R. Smith had not played an NBA game in almost two seasons. However, they have not had to shake off much rust to get back to their old selves.
If the Lakers can get what they got out of Waiters and Smith in the scrimmages when the regular season resumes and into the playoffs, then the team will have added another element of scorers off the bench that they has been non-existent for most of the season.
Head coach Frank Vogel has also mentioned how they both add an element of swagger and toughness that will be needed in a tight playoff series as well.
It remains to be seen how much they will actually be used in meaningful games, but after these performances, it would not be surprising to see them get minutes. At least their presence relieves some of the pressure off the guards after losing both Avery Bradley and Rajon Rondo.