Los Angeles Lakers: Dion Waiters and J.R. Smith will energize bench

Positives and negatives about J.R Smith’s scrimmage play

Besides Smith not bringing enough socks and underwear to make due in the bubble, everything has gone mostly well for him so far with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was brought in to shoot at a high level from 3-point range and to compete on the defensive end, and he has done that and then some in scrimmages thus far.

However, his three scrimmage performances also proved just how streaky and up and down his game can be and that could be the biggest negative take away from his scrimmage play.

From game to game he can either be the guy that was the leading scorers with six made 3-pointers in the scrimmage against the Wizards, or he can be the guy that goes one for five in 20 minutes against the Magic the game before.

In the first two games with normal rotations, he was able to chip in with at least six points. He struggled to get his shot going, but was able to have more success in the third scrimmage game with more attempts.

Against Orlando, he was able to get the free-throw line a few different times and went 4 for 5, this could be an area where he can really help the Lakers, considering their best free throw shooter is AD. Smith went seven for eight from the line in three scrimmage games, which is a small sample size, but looks like he can help their team average from the charity stripe.

Strangely enough, he did not take a single shot from beyond the arc in the scrimmage against the Magic, and that is a major reason why he was brought in. The first scrimmage against the Mavericks was a different story, he was way less shy about getting his shot up from 3-point range, but he went just one for four from deep.

In his Wizards post-game press conference Frank Vogel admitted that he wanted J.R. to be aggressive on his catch and shoot looks from beyond the arc. That proved to be a smart strategy because he ended his shooting slump from 3-point range in the third scrimmage, hitting 6 out of 7 attempts.

With Smith you will get amazing shots that only he can make, like this one tweeted from Laker Film Room.

You will also get highlight reel lobs like the one he had to Dwight Howard against Orlando, but you will also get quiet performances like his first scrimmage where he was a -13 on the floor against the Mavericks. With Smith they will have to take the bad with the good and hope he does not make a mistake in a crucial situation.