3 contenders who should look into J.R. Smith for postseason run

Utah Jazz

Before the season started, many considered the Utah Jazz to be a dark horse contender in the NBA’s Western Conference this upcoming season. A significant part of this was the addition of Bojan Bogdanovic, who indeed had a career year for them before it was announced by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that he would undergo right wrist surgery on Monday. With their sharpshooter out, the team should look at J.R. Smith as a potential filler.

The main thing that allowed Bogdanovic to flourish in Utah this season was his prolific 3-point shooting. It was a significant part of his 20.2 points per game, as he was one of two players in the league this season to average 20 points while shooting 40 percent from 3-point land and 90 percent from the free throw line.

The forward provided plenty of contribution to the team’s 38.3 percent 3-point shooting mark, tied for best in the league with the Miami Heat. With Bogdanovic sidelined for a lengthy period, there would be an enormous void in their 3-point shooting to fill if the season were to resume.

While J.R. Smith would likely not come in and entirely fill the gap left by Bogdanovic’s injury, he could be one of the better options on the market. Known as a profound 3-point shooter in his career, Smith could potentially come in and provide another reliable option for the 4-seeded Utah Jazz in the postseason.

Many could have already written off the Utah Jazz as a contender if the season were to resume, but with the All-Star tandem of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, this team could still possibly make some noise. Adding another shooter such as Smith could potentially add some more firepower to this offense that will desperately need it.