Kumpiyansa ang Los Angeles Lakers sa talento ng bagong saltang si JR Smith kasabay ng paghahanda ng koponan para sa muling pagpapatuloy ng sinuspindeng NBA season.
Una rito, opisyal nang lumagda ng kontrata sa Lakers ang free-agent guard para sa nalalabing bahagi ng season, at magiging kapalit sa roster ni Avery Bradley.
Ayon kay Los Angeles coach Frank Vogel, umaasa sila sa abilidad na ibibigay ni Smith para mapunan ang puwestong nabakante sa kanilang koponan.
“We’re not going to ask him to come in and be Avery Bradley,” wika ni Vogel. “He’s going to come in and be J.R. Smith. He’s going to just fill that position more than fill that role. Avery’s loss is obviously a huge loss for us, but we’re a next-man-up team. J.R. is going to come in and help fill that need, but we have a lot of guys in that position that can do the same.”
Malaki rin aniya ang tulong ng pagiging pamilyar nito kay LeBron James, kung saan naging magkakampi pa sila sa Cleveland Cavaliers nang madagit nito ang kampeonato noong 2016, at makapasok sa apat na sunod-sunod na NBA Finals.
“That was a factor, his familiarity with LeBron,” ani Vogel. “The way we’ve built our team around LeBron, there’s a lot of similarities to the way they built their team in Cleveland. That definitely is a factor in what we feel like J.R. can bring to the table in what is going to be a very short time to get acclimated.”
Sinabi rin ni Vogel na nananatili naman daw na “hopeful at optimistic” ang koponan na makakasama sila sa Orlando si center Dwight Howard.
“We don’t know what the level of participation is going to be yet,” anang coach. “He wants to play. … We don’t have any intention of replacing Dwight’s roster spot. When we leave, he’ll hopefully be able to join us.”
Kaugnay nito, agad ding binati ni LeBron si Smith sa pagsapi nito sa koponan.
Huling naglaro sa NBA ang 34-anyos na si Smith noon pang simula ng 2018-19 season, kung saan sumabak lamang ito sa 11 laro.
Tumatak nang husto si Smith dahil sa kanyang blunder noong Game 1 ng 2018 NBA Finals sa harapan ng Cavs at Golden State Warriors.
