Vetaran shooting guard J.R. Smith is officially a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.
His agent, Rich Paul, has revealed what number Smith will be wearing for his new team.
J.R. Smith will wear No. 21 for the Los Angeles Lakers, his agent @RichPaul4 of @KlutchSports tells Yahoo Sports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 1, 2020
Smith hasn’t suited up for an NBA game since he was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018-19 season.
Throughout his extended absence from the game, he has made his desire to rejoin the NBA’s ranks known. He has been connected to Lakers as a possible signee for months.
It wasn’t until guard Avery Bradley announced that he would not be joining the Lakers to the NBA’s bubble later this month that the door clearly opened up for Smith to join the squad.
Smith has averaged 12.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game for his career. While he brings solid three-point shooting and scoring off the bench, his greatest value to the Lakers may very well be his familiarity in playing alongside superstar LeBron James.
James and Smith won the 2016 NBA title together as members of the Cavs.
Surely, the two old friends will look to win their second ring together once the 2019-20 season starts back up in Orlando, Fla. later this month.
