Getty LeBron James and J.R. Smith
Former Los Angeles Lakers guard J.R. Smith issued a strong statement on LeBron James during an appearance on “The Old Man & the Three” podcast with J.J. Redick.
Smith told Redick that James has a “ridiculous” work ethic.
“His work ethic and his drive is ridiculous,” Smith said about James. “It doesn’t matter if you’re the 15th man on the team or the second man on the team. He’ll go work out with you. He’s gonna get shots up with you. He’s gonna talk to you, communicate with you like, ‘What’s going on? What do you see?'”
James and Smith were teammates on the Cleveland Cavaliers and Lakers. The duo won the 2016 championship together on the Cavaliers over the Golden State Warriors and the 2020 title versus the Miami Heat at the Walt Disney World bubble. Cleveland became the first team in NBA history to erase a 3-1 series deficit in the Finals back in 2016.
Smith’s last game in the NBA was in Game 3 of the 2020 Finals. He has career averages of 12.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists.
LeBron James Is Ready for the Grizzlies
The Lakers will face the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the 2023 playoffs. James, who is looking to win his fifth championship, gave a detailed scouting report of Memphis after Los Angeles beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 7-8 play-in game on April 11.
I asked LeBron for his early thoughts on the Memphis matchup. After listing out his scouting report for most of their rotation, he deadpanned, “Obviously, I haven’t thought about Memphis one minute.”
The Grizzlies have home-court advantage in their series against the Lakers. However, it’s worth mentioning that Los Angeles went 2-1 versus Memphis during the regular season. James only played in one of the games, finishing with 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists. He missed the other two meetings due to an injury.
James has only lost in the first round of the playoffs once during his Hall of Fame career. Ironically, it came with the Lakers back in 2021 against the Phoenix Suns.
NBA Executive Thinks the Lakers Can Upset the Grizzlies
An NBA executive told The Athletic that he thinks the Lakers can upset the Grizzlies in seven games.
“Woohoohoohoohoo … I’m gonna say Lakers,” the exec said. “LeBron James, LeBron James, LeBron James, you know? And you just wonder: Is there a little residual left from Ja’s late-season issues — on all fronts? I wonder how that’s still affecting people.”
The Grizzlies will be without Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke, as both players are injured. Meanwhile, the Lakers have no injuries to report. A scout who spoke to The Athletic is also picking Los Angeles to beat Memphis.
“Obviously, the two key players, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, are healthy for the Lakers,” the scout said. “So that puts them at least even right from the get-go. The Lakers can win on the road. Memphis doesn’t have Brandon Clarke. … I think it’s kind of an even series. Because of the LeBron factor and the Davis factor, I don’t think the home court is going to matter that much, and there’s no Steven Adams, either. The Grizzlies are playing Xavier Tillman. Tillman’s been their starting five for the last quarter of the season, so they’re depleted. You might even give the Lakers the edge there, especially if they take one in Memphis. … I think missing Clarke and Adams is big for Memphis even though Jaren Jackson Jr. did lead the league in shot-blocking and Tillman’s been more than adequate as a starter. When push comes to shove, I’m going to pick LeBron James.”