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

Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets have arguably the NBA’s most dynamic backcourt consisting of two NBA MVP’s in James Harden and Russell Westbrook, but their bench scoring proved troublesome all season. The Rockets finished in 28th place in terms of bench points at 28.0 per game, a rather lackluster number that a guy like J.R. Smith could help elevate.

As a team, they totaled 34.8 percent 3-point shooting, which ranked 23rd in the entire league, and in an offense that relied so heavily on the long-ball, that number was not going to get the job done. Houston finished in the six-seed when the season was brought to a halt, far below what many had expected, in part because of their offense.

The team switched things up mid-season by trading big man Clint Capela in favor of a small-ball approach, and although it proved hit or miss, they decided to run with it. At 6’6″ and a prolific 3-point shooter, J.R. Smith could fit in well with this group to provide some offense.

Houston had a pretty solid guard rotation with Austin Rivers, Ben McLemore, and Eric Gordon, but Smith could bolster it further. Smith could also play small forward in this smaller lineup, and with a dependency on the 3-ball, he could thrive in Mike D’Antoni’s offensive system.

J.R. Smith flirted with the idea of joining the Houston Rockets last offseason in an Instagram story, one year after the team tried to trade for him in the previous offseason. If that mutual interest is still there, Smith should be just a phone call away from making his return. He is by no means a game-changer, but for a team so reliant on the 3-ball, a specialist such as Smith could be of some assistance.