Los Angeles Lakers Guard, Avery Bradley has opted out of the NBA’s return in Disney land. Bradley stood behind Kyrie Irving a couple weeks back in saying that at this time the focus should be on racial injustice, not basketball.
He also says that because his six year old son Liam is a high risk individual for COVID-19, it doesn’t make any sense for him to return and put the health of his family in jeopardy.
With Bradley out for the remainder of the season the Lakers now have an open roster spot. Many anticipate them to look no further than the “Henny God” himself, JR Smith.
On his career JR Smith has averaged 12.5 PPG to go along with 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He has been a solid and consistent role player for the better part of his career. I would expect him to see around 15 minutes a game with the Lakers and could give them solid production playing off ball.
Of course it is impossible to ignore what happened the last time LeBron and JR Smith played together; this was in the 2018 NBA finals when Smith appeared to have one of the biggest brain lapses in the history of the sport and essentially dribbled out the clock when they weren’t winning the game. It was truly one of the most bizarre plays I have ever seen and LeBron’s reaction is still internet gold to this day.
Adding JR Smith to your roster gives you a veteran NBA player who has played in the playoffs and won a championship (Cavaliers 2016). Experience and leadership is important in the playoffs and that is something the Lakers might just find in JR Smith.
