Los Angeles Lakers: 3 reasons to remove J.R. Smith from the rotation

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 22: JR Smith #21 of the Los Angeles Lakers controls the ball against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first half in Game Three of the first round of the playoffs between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers at the AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 22, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kim Klement-Pool/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

2. He can’t hit 3-point shots anymore

Once upon a time, Smith was one of basketball’s great streak shooters.

He first displayed this ability as a member of the 2009 Denver Nuggets team that competed hard against Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

It then paid off as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, as it helped them reach the NBA Finals in four straight seasons and deliver Northeast Ohio its first world championship in any major sport since the printing press was invented.

But his outside shooting ability fell off a cliff and landed in the Hudson River last season, when Smith made only 30.8 percent of his treys.

With the Lakers, it’s only gotten worse.

In the eight “seeding” games in the bubble, the New Jersey native made only one of his 11 attempts from downtown. So far in the playoffs, he’s done better, but still bad by shooting 26.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Granted, he’s averaged just 9.3 minutes a game in the postseason, but you’d think he could at least shoot in the mid-30s from distance, right?

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