Getty J.R. Smith #8 of the New York Knicks stands dejected at the end of the game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Philadelphia 76ers have seen a host of different players come in and out of the lineup over the last decade. When the goal was to accumulate draft capital and assets, a.k.a. The Process, the Sixers regularly took fliers on young players, hoping to scope out a diamond in the rough.
One of those players was former first-round pick Nick Young, whom the Sixers signed to a one-year deal in 2013.
Flash forward to 2022, and Young has been out of work since the 2018-19 season. And according to J.R. Smith, the reason isn’t because of a lack of skill. Smith was asked by Pierce Smith of Complex whether Smith feels that he’s been “blackballed” by the league.
“Yeah, 100 percent,” Smith responded. “Anybody can sit here and tell you that that’s a fact.”
Smith went on to list several players that he feels have been similarly treated by the league, including Young.
“And I feel like it’s a whole genre that that happened to,” Smith explained. “The Joe Johnsons who obviously still got game, still can play. Jamal Crawford, still got game, still can play. Nick Young, still got game, still can play. Isaiah Thomas, still got game, still can play.”
J.R. Smith says he, Jamal Crawford, Isaiah Thomas, Nick Young and Joe Johnson have been blackballed from the NBA.
Link below for full #ComplexVolume story and interview with J.R. Smith.
The league certainly has a history of informally keeping players out of the league. In the 1970s, Spencer Haywood was famously bounced around the league in retaliation for filing an antitrust lawsuit against the NBA. But can the same be said for Smith and the other players he listed?
Fading Talents, Retirees, and Waning Stats
A look under the hood reveals a few problems with Smith’s argument that Johnson, Young, Thomas, Crawford, and he have been intentionally kept out of the league.
First is the age problem. Of those players, all but Thomas are older than 36 years old. It’s not unprecedented for truly excellent players to continue their careers into their late 30s and early 40s, but it’s hardly the norm. In fact, as Bleacher Report’s Adam Wells pointed out, the 41-year-old Johnson would be the second-oldest active player in the league.
And Crawford, for his part, retired back in March.
A lot of truth to what JR Smith just said right there. They fear the pure hoopers because their game is nasty and they will out perform the young kids that the team wants to develop long term day in and day out in practice and games if all are given an opportunity. Cold bizness.
Smith and Young, for their part, were NBA journeymen for their careers. And when the end came, it came hard on Smith’s stat-sheet.
“[In 2020] Smith appeared in 16 games for the Lakers between the regular season and playoffs,” Wells wrote. “The 36-year-old averaged 2.8 points per game on 31.8 percent shooting in his 10 regular-season games.”
Smith’s point might make more sense from the perspective that teams today are more willing to take a chance on a young player than an aging veteran. But that’s hardly blackballing.
Smith: ‘Name One of Them That’s Better Than Me’
Blackballing wasn’t the only topic of conversation between the two Smiths. The former Cavalier also made his case against any back-end NBA roster.
“Give me the four through 15th men, just the four through 15. Name one that’s better than me,” Smith asked.
It’s an interesting thought experiment, but it doesn’t take much to poke holes in Smith’s thinking.
Let’s look at the Sixers. If the top three are Joel Embiid, James Harden, and Tyrese Maxey, that leaves Tobias Harris as the obvious No. 4. And looking at Harris and Smith’s Per-36 figures, the former has a higher career field goal percentage, effective field goal percentage, and free throw percentage than the two-time champ.
Ditto for the Boston Celtics, who boast a strong trio of Jason Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Robert Williams. Is JR really better than Marcus Smart, reigning Defensive Player of the Year? Or better than Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, or Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors?