Cleveland recently waived JR Smith and a few teams could use the sharp shooter. Let’s face it, Smith isn’t the same player he was back in his Denver days, but a few playoff teams could benefit from his presence. Unfortunately, the Lakers are off his list; probably is scared to play with LeBron again after what happened in the finals a few years back.
Here are those teams:
San Antonio Spurs: Something about Greg Popovich and his system that would fit well with the Spurs. In the past they’ve been a team that has always attracted to shooters. Smith could give this squad one hell of a playoff push if he wanted to. The man is capable of taking over games; even coming off the bench. I wouldn’t be surprised if he snuck in at the starting 2 spot and moved DeRozan down to the 3.
Houston Rockets: This seems to be the hot spot for vets to sign for the past three years. Joe Johnson, Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, and possibly JR Smith. If anyone pays close attention to the Rockets offensive sets they know that this team flat out shoots the ball. D’ Anotni practically relies on the three ball. The rockets take 45 threes a game on 35% shooting which is a huge leg up when trying to land a guy like Smith. WHere would he fit? I could see him playing a Joe Johnson type of role giving them a solid 15-18 minutes a night with his minutes increasing as the post season comes around.
Milwaukee Bucks: With the way the eastern conference is shaping up this upcoming season, the bucks are in the driver seat to come out on top. I know Milwaukee isn’t a popular destination spot, but giving Giannis another shooter to surround Middleton and company could be dangerous. With the nets losing Durant for a season it makes the most sense for the bucks to pull the trigger on Smith. It could mean the difference between eastern conference finals exit and NBA championship.
Overall, Smith shoots a good 37.3% on his career from three and could make these three teams better in a variety of different ways. In 2k terms Smith is a Slashing Sharpshooter at best; giving teams a little bit of everything and has proven to be productive in the past. The Cavs did the right thing by giving Smith the opportunity to pursue a playoff team.
Where do you think Smith goes?