Self-awareness is good in the NBA. Knowing who you are and what you do for your team. And confidence is good. And J.R. Smith has both, in abundance. Smith was asked about what his role is on the Cavaliers in his first pre-game availability since being traded to Cleveland Monday. His answer?
JR Smith on how he'll play with the Cavs without knowing the playbook: "My motto is, 'When in doubt, shoot the ball'"
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 7, 2015
Pure, 100 percent J.R. Smith right there.
For reference, Smith is shooting 40.2 percent from the field this season, and a decent 36 percent from 3-point range. Here's his heat map, via NBA Savant:
So yeah, the guy does shoot, and if he's shooting threes, it's not bad. But Smith also can severely hinder his team when he starts gunning. He has no filter on his heat checks, and will outright disobey whatever the coach is calling for in order to get a shot up if he's feeling it. How he manages to temper microwave vs. anchor will be key for the Cavaliers.
But if nothing else, that's an incredible quote.
