JR Smith Speaks on His Familiarity With LeBron James

Newly-acquired Los Angeles Lakers guard JR Smith is well aware of the power LeBron James has, and now they will be sharing the same locker room now. Smith will join the Lakers for the NBA return, and they may even give him a chance to play more.

Smith has been connected to LeBron in so many ways. He knows what upsets LeBron, and this will help him move on with the game and even win.

JR Smith knows LeBron James best

The center and King James were teammates with the Cleveland Cavaliers in four seasons from 2015-2018. LeBron pushed for Smith’s move from the New York Knicsk in January 2015.

“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.

“Because as we’ve all seen in the MJ doc … he was so hard on his teammates and stuff like that. But we got a case like LeBron, it’s different,” Smith said, “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.’”

When asked about familiarity with LeBron and knowing how to play with him, JR Smith said, "I know how 'Bron can get pissed at me."

— Matthew Moreno (@MMoreno1015) July 6, 2020

Prior to this, Smith had an interesting NBA history. There were many missteps in his games, and this had a huge impact on the outcome. These missteps overshadowed his talent. LeBron insisted on the trade and he wanted to keep Smith in check.

LeBron’s influence worked out for the Cavs. The team made the NBA Finals for four straight years. The 3-point shooting and his aggressive on-court approach had a role in that outcome.

Smith knows what angers the king, and this was never more evident than in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals. Smith lost track of the score in the final seconds of a regulation. We couldn’t ignore LeBron’s anger toward him. The Golden State Warriors swept the Cavaliers in four games.

LeBron joined the Lakers after that season, and Smith criticized the team for tanking the year.

Smith last played in November 2018 and the Cavs released him. The Lakers showed interest in him.