Now that J.R. Smith is officially a Los Angeles Laker, he has started preparing for the resumption of the 2019-20 NBA season.
Smith and LeBron James have been putting in some serious work as the Lakers prepare to fly to the NBA’s bubble environment in Orlando, Fla.
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Smith and James are certainly familiar with each other, as they played alongside each other from 2015 to 2018 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In each of the four postseasons Smith and James were teammates, the Cavs reached the NBA Finals and played the Golden State Warriors.
The two endured three tough losses, but sandwiched between those defeats, Smith and James also helped the Cavs win their first-ever championship in 2016.
At age 34, Smith likely won’t play nearly as large a role for the Purple and Gold as he did for the Cavs. Many expect him to be the basketball equivalent of a pinch hitter in baseball, but Smith is always a threat to get hot from 3-point range or to hit a clutch shot in a big game.
The Lakers are scheduled to resume their season on July 30 against their crosstown rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers.
