- Report: Lakers downgrade D’Angelo Russell’s status for Friday’s matchup vs. Thunder
- Kendrick Perkins rips ‘borderline senior citizen’ Chris Paul for letting Austin Reaves drop 25 points on him
- Anthony Davis issues confident statement on Lakers playoff hopes: ‘You put anybody against us, I like our chances’
- Anthony Davis declares that he and LeBron James have ‘one of the best relationships’ among duos in the NBA
- Former teammate of Kobe and LeBron says Kobe was ‘like Mike’ while LeBron was more ‘happy-go-lucky’
- Report: LeBron James has resumed on-court activity for Lakers
- Monty Williams sounds off on free-throw disparity in Lakers-Suns game
- Patrick Beverley implies his opinion wasn’t valued on Lakers
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander says he never liked LeBron’s game
- Germany recruiting Austin Reaves to play for them in the World Cup
J.R. Smith Boasts Message of Extreme Confidence After 20-Point Showing vs. Washington Wizards
- Updated: July 27, 2020
After a solid performance in the Los Angeles Lakers’ final exhibition game, one of the team’s newest acquisitions, J.R. Smith, offered up a motivational observation about the importance of ignoring doubters.
Smith, who was signed by the Lakers prior to the team reporting for the resumption of their season, scored 20 points in the Lakers’ 123-116 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday afternoon.
While the effort came in an exhibition contest, the Lakers are hoping that the 34-year-old Smith’s performance is the start of a strong comeback from the veteran’s past few years.
Smith was released last year by the Cleveland Cavaliers after clashing with management and also seeing a decline in his on-court-production.
It was with the Cavaliers that Smith worked in tandem with LeBron James to help the team reach the NBA Finals in four consecutive years and win the 2016 NBA title.
Smith is a streaky shooter who can connect from long-range, though he can also hit dry spells that the Lakers are hoping to avoid.
As one of the Lakers’ options off the bench, Smith offers the team someone who can instantly deliver offense. If he’s able to do that, the Lakers’ path to a championship will become a bit clearer.
Right now, Smith and his new teammates are focused on Thursday, when the Lakers officially resume their season with a game against the Los Angeles Clippers.