The Los Angeles Lakers, who will be gunning for their first NBA title since 2010 after the season restarts in Orlando in August, have made a key bench addition for the remainder of the season.
The Lakers signed NBA veteran and former Sixth Man of the Year JR Smith to a contract for the rest of the season, making him set to play in his first NBA game since November 2018 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Smith will replace Avery Bradley, who opted out for the NBA restart due to health and safety concerns, on the Lakers’ roster and will look to establish himself as a bench scoring threat for one of the best teams in the league.
The New Jersey native will reunite with former teammate LeBron James, with whom he won an NBA title in 2016 with the Cavaliers.
Smith, who was waived by the Cavs the last offseason after a controversial 2018-19 season in which he barely played after criticizing the team and its management, averaged 8.2 points per game in only 22 games last season.
While it remains to be seen if the 34-year-old guard still has enough left in him to be a key bench piece for the Lakers, the low risk and high potential reward for his new team made him a no-brainer of a signing.
