How the Los Angeles Lakers will use J.R. Smith when the season resumes

Let’s take a look at how the Los Angeles Lakers will use J.R. Smith on both sides of the court for the remainder of the 2019-20 season.

The Los Angeles Lakers announced on July 1st that they had signed J.R. Smith for the remainder of the 2019-20 season. The team signed Smith to replace Avery Bradley, who decided to opt out of the restart as it would be risky for his six-year-old son Liam to enter the Orlando bubble because he has a respiratory illness.

How are the Lakers going to use Smith for the remainder of the season? The answer is as a floor spacer and pick-and-roll defender, as the Lakers have made Anthony Davis the focal point throughout this entire season. Los Angeles decided to make Davis the focal point because LeBron James wanted to shed the perception that other players don’t enjoy playing with him.

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NBA players believe James is hard to play with because he makes his teammates completely change their game instantly upon arriving on his team, forcing them to become a 3 point shooter. His former teammate Chris Bosh told Bleacher Report in 2014 that playing James was extremely frustrating because you had to play the game differently.

He stated that his low post touches were significantly reduced because it would hurt the team’s ability to win a championship. He replaced those low post touches by spending more time as a floor spacer.

Bosh attempted 9.5 percent of his field-goal attempts from behind the arc in the four seasons with James. It was a 7.2 percent increase from his time in Toronto as he only took 2.3 percent of his field-goal attempts from behind the arc as a Raptor.

James’ reputation has already affected Los Angeles’ ability to recruit free agents, as Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and Jimmy Butler were hoping to sign with Los Angeles; before James’ arrival but reversed course once James signed with the Lakers.

James’ inability to attract free agents lately propelled him to tell Davis that if he pushed for a trade to the Los Angeles Lakers that he would be the main star on the team. James’ decision to hand over the reins to Davis had an immediate impact on the team.

Anthony Davis’ influence on the Los Angeles Lakers

Davis openly stated during his introductory press conference that he prefers to play power forward because it took less of a physical toll on his body. Davis’ comments led the team to sign JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard to share minutes at the center position. These signings have limited his exposure to the center position as Davis has played center less than 40 percent of the time averaging 12.4 minutes per game.

Davis’ influence over the organization would continue to be felt in the coming months. James told the media during training camp that the team would be running a post-up centric offense this season because it was one of Davis’s areas of strength.

Davis shot 42.7 percent from the field on 3.5 attempts in the low post during his final four seasons in New Orleans. His field goal percentage helped him create 3.9 points in 6.7 possessions. Davis’ low post statistics have played a vital role in the team being second in post-up possessions averaging 14.5 per game.

Davis is responsible for more than 60 percent of the team’s possessions averaging 9 per game. Davis has performed to expectation during these possessions as he is shooting 45.6 percent on 3.7 field goal attempts per game, allowing him to create 4.7 points.

How the Los Angeles Lakers will use J.R. Smith offensively

Davis’ influence within the organization has affected the team’s flooring spacing as all of the Lakers’ big men are below average shooters as they shoot less than 32 percent from behind the arc. Consequently, opponents can have two defenders near the rim, making it harder for perimeter players to attack the basket.

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The presence of two defenders near the rim has impacted the rest of the team as perimeter players are playing the role of floor spacers. Before the COVID-19 stoppage, all perimeter players in the Lakers rotation took a minimum of 32 percent of field goal attempts from behind the arc.

Fortunately, Smith has a track record of thriving as a floor spacer as he has shot 40 percent on catch and shoot threes during his career on 4.3 attempts per game. It is 2.2 percent better than Bradley’s career shooting percentage on catch and shoot threes as he has converted 37.8 percent of his field goals on 3.4 attempts.

How the Los Angeles Lakers will use J.R. Smith defensively

Unfortunately, Los Angeles should see a significant drop off in their defensive performance as they transition from Bradley to Smith because the team will most likely use Smith as a pick and roll defender.

The Lakers are currently going up against a pick and roll ball handler 20.2 times per game. Bradley was responsible for 18.8 percent of those possessions averaging 3.8 per game. He excelled in those possessions holding pick and roll ball handlers to 36.3 percent shooting from the field on 2.5 attempts per game. The field goal percentage allowed the pick and roll ball handler to create 2.9 points per game.

Pick and roll ball handlers performed substantially better against Smith as they have shot 49.2 percent from the field against him on 2.1 attempts per game since 2015. Their field goal percentage helped them generate 2.6 points per game.

The most noticeable difference in pick and roll performance between Bradley and Smith is where they place their arms. When Bradley sees that a big man is about to set a screen, he extends his inside arm to minimize contact.

For example, DeAndre Jordan set for Spencer Dinwiddie on the right-wing midway through the first quarter of a game against the Lakers. Unfortunately, the screen didn’t work as Bradley extended his left arm allowing him to the screen and stay close to Dinwiddie. Consequently, Dinwiddie had to take a heavily contested three, which he missed.

On the other hand, Smith prefers to have his arm close to the body increasing the likelihood of contact as he attempts to get around a screen. Consequently, his defensive assignments can get separation from him in a pick and roll. For example, Festus Ezeli set a screen for Klay Thompson at the top of the key during the 2016 NBA Finals. Smith decided to bring his arm in to avoid making contact with Ezeli on the screen.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work as Smith’s arm hit Ezeli, causing him to waste an extra second clearing the screen, which allowed Thompson to get separation. Fortunately for Smith, Tristan Thompson and Richard Jefferson rotated over to stop Thompson from getting a layup.

In conclusion, the Lakers’ system suggests Smith will be used as a floor spacer and pick and roll defender.