New Los Angeles Lakers recruit JR Smith has revealed what he believes he can bring to the table for his new team. According to the veteran swingman, his connection with LeBron James is going to prove itself as a crucial factor for the team moving forward.
Per Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times, Smith explained how he fully understands LeBron's motivations.
“I know how ‘Bron can get pissed and people are not gonna know how to deal with it. So it gives that gap of understanding,” the new Lakers swingman said.
James has had bouts in the past wherein he exuberantly expressed his dissatisfaction with his teammates, and Smith has been on the receiving end of such situations on more than a few occasions. His inexplicable blunder in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors and how LeBron was practically screaming at him comes to mind.
According to Smith, he knows how to handle such situations, and he should be able to help his new Lakers teammates cope with James in such instances.
At the end of the day, Smith said that LeBron James is still all about winning. He even drew some reference with the recent ESPN docuseries “The Last Dance,” as the NBA veteran compared the Lakers superstar to the great Micheal Jordan.
“Because as we’ve all seen in the MJ doc,” JR Smith continued, “he was so hard on his teammates and stuff like that. But we got a case like LeBron, it’s different because obviously he does everything he wants to do to win, and everything else. It kind of comes off in the wrong way sometimes. And you need that bridge as a player to be posted to the next player, like ‘Hey look man, it’s nothing personal.’ ”
Smith does have a fair point here. He isn't expected to play a huge role for the Lakers, so perhaps what he can do off the court is something that will add to his value.
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