Newly signed Los Angeles Lakers swingman J.R. Smith spoke to the media for the first time since joining the Lake Show, signing an NBA contract with them as he looks to play his first NBA game since the fall of 2018. If the NBA Restart goes on as planned, Smith will get to play a game and break a nearly two-year absence. During that absence, Smith dealt with a lot mentally, telling reporters that he went through a depressive period during his hiatus away from the league, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“I went through a very depressed state for a long time,” Smith told reporters on a video conference call Monday. “And it lasted for a few months, where I just didn’t — I’m a big video gamer, I didn’t even play 2K anymore. I don’t want to hoop, I don’t want to work out, I don’t want to play 2K, I don’t want do anything with basketball.”
Smith signed with the Lakers last week to replace Avery Bradley. Bradley, the Lakers starting guard for much of the season, chose to opt-out of the restart as one of his children was recovering from a respiratory illness.
Smith is a career 37% 3-point shooter in the playoffs and he’s also 4th in made 3-pointers in NBA Finals history.
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