The Nuggets Highflying UnderdogJ.R. Smith has improved his game greatly last season, which earned him the starting spot for this year's Nuggets team. Standing at 6'6, this combo guard is averaging career high's this season. His average of 19.9 points per game is the highest in his career. So is his 1.6 steals per game. He is also averaging career high's in assists and blocks. But it wasn't always great for the highflyer.
He was the son of Ida and Earl Smith. J.R. had 3 brothers and 2 sisters. He grew up admiring Michael Jordan, and was a high school prodigy as he averaged more than 27 points and 5 rebounds per game. He was supposed to attend University of North Carolina, but he decided to go straight to the NBA. Smith was drafted 18th by the Hornets. At 19 years, he was the youngest Hornet to ever play an NBA basketball game. As a Nugget, he was a part of the Knicks-Nuggets brawl, as he was suspended for 10 games. The year later, Smith was involved in an incident at a Denver nightclub. The Nuggets suspended him for the first three regular season games of the NBA 2007-2008 season for his role in the incident. Smith scored a career-high 45 points on 13-of-22 shooting, as part of a 118-98 home win over the Sacramento Kings. He made a franchise-record 11 three-pointers during the game, which was one shy of tying the NBA record.
Smith's first trip to the playoffs during the 2006-2007 season with the Denver Nuggets was viewed by many as widely disappointing. Smith, a 39% 3-point shooter during the regular season, failed to connect on any three-point shots in the first four games and also was criticized for poor decision-making by coach George Karl. After game four, Karl informed reporters of his plan to bench Smith for all of game 5. Karl said, "He's done," and explained his frustrations over Smith's poor judgment to shoot a three late in the game, "I have no idea what planet that came from." Karl told the Associated Press that he had drawn up the play to give the ball to either Allen Iverson or Carmelo Anthony. Karl did not stop there and continued venting over Smith's poor play, "And then, of course the one with eight seconds to go, from 50 feet, I just love the dignity of the game being insulted right in front of me."
Smith had a better showing in his second trip to the playoffs during a first-round matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers. He played 27.0 minutes, averaging 18.3 points per game on 53.5% shooting. He also had a 31.8% three-point shooting percentage. Although the Nuggets were swept in the first round, Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant said in a postgame interview that, "J. R. is a good young player. He was a lot to handle."
What people don't know that Smith was a Chicago Bull He was traded by New Orleans along with P. J. Brown to the Chicago Bulls for Tyson Chandler. 6 days later, he was traded again, now by Chicago to the Denver Nuggets for Howard Eisley and two future second-round draft picks.
Smith said dunking has been a thing he fell in love with the first time he dunked the ball. He had a shooting for hoopmixtape, lets see how good he can dunk.
Smith shuts down the gym