J.R. Smith played for nearly 16 years in the NBA, a long and impressive career. He was a role player for most of that time, albeit a starter for the Cleveland Cavaliers the season they won a championship. J.R. mostly played on losing teams early in his career, the Hornets and Knicks were far from contenders during his time with them. So when he joined the Cavaliers and LeBron James, his mentality changed.
In conversation with JJ Redick, J.R. explained how it happened, saying, “Like, my mentality changed. My first 10 years, I was playing damn near meaningless basketball. Until in 2009, we took the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals. And other than that, get to the Knicks, we had that one good run. Barring that, for the first half of my career, it was just like, ‘Okay, we’re gonna get blown out, so let me just do what I do.’
“So by the time I got to Cleveland, it was like, ‘Oh no, I’m not showing up at 10 and practicing at 11. I’m here at 8, getting treatment.’ I’m lifting, I’m eating, I’m watching Bron. I’m like, ‘Oh, no no, no, this is what… This is how we win. So my mentality completely changed. So it was like accountability, I added a lot of that to the situation.”
JR Smith on the challenges of being a high school to NBA player and how his mentality around winning and preparation changed when he joined the Cavs. Full ep drops tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/D9uyfm1OJK
— JJ Redick (@jj_redick) April 12, 2023
It’s an accepted fact in the NBA that there is a huge gap between winning culture and losing culture that is not the easiest to bridge. It’s also why players thrive in certain situations and struggle in others. J. R. Smith figured it out for himself, though, fitting in and helping the Cleveland Cavaliers win a championship alongside LeBron James in 2016.
J. R. Smith Was A Crucial Part Of The 2015-16 Championship Run
Although he is often remembered for the mistake he made in the NBA Finals in 2018, he was a crucial piece for the Cavs in 2016. He started all 21 games in the playoffs, averaging over 11 points per game, to go along with 3 rebounds. He shot a phenomenal 43% from three-point range during that playoff run as well.
J. R. Smith became a bit of a meme somewhere along the way, but he was a solid NBA player for most of his career. He won 2 championships alongside LeBron James, and it’s clear that he put the work in to make it happen. It’s not easy to change environments like that, but J.R. did it, and he deserves plaudits for it.
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