Los Angeles Lakers: 5 recent players you probably forgot were Lakers
By Jason Reed
J.R. Smith – 6 regular-season games and 10 playoff games in 2019-20
J.R. Smith was part of the Los Angeles Lakers NBA Championship team. While it was not even a year ago, it feels crazy to think that Smith was part of the team that won the 17th championship in franchise history.
Smith was not part of the team at all during the season and instead was brought in as depth for the Orlando bubble. Avery Bradley opted not to re-join the team in Orlando, opening the door for Smith to join his old teammate in LeBron and win a title.
It was a great hustle by Smith, who did not have to do nearly as much work and still got to win a championship. Not only was he not on the Lakers at all during the 2019-20 season prior to the Orlando bubble but he did not play at all in the league.
Not only did he not play at all during the Orlando bubble but he also did not play a single game during the 2018-19 season! Smith went from sitting at home on his couch to being stuck at Disney World to win a championship.
Dion Waiters is in a similar boat as Smith but at least with Waiters, he was signed before the season shut down and simply had to wait to make his Lakers debut. Smith was brought in specifically for the title chase and while he did not contribute much, he got a ring and got paid.