How a "ZERO IQ" NBA Player Outplayed Everyone

when you ask the incident for an NBA player with zero basketball IQ you often see the face and name of JR Smith pop up but why well he often made horrible decisions with the ball potentially caused his team a championship and caused LeBron James to break his hand out of anger due to his mistakes however while some claimed that the way he played insulted the Dignity of the game others actually considered him as one of the most talented players in the league due to his two NBA titles in insane shot making ability and freakish athleticism so who was right well in order to find out we have to go back in time and see why Jr never developed the so-called basketball IQ in the first place September 9th 1985 New Jersey Earl Smith Jr a former division one basketball player at Monmouth University and his wife Ida Smith have just welcomed their son Earl Joseph Smith III nicknamed Jr into the world Jr would grow up surrounded with basketall and his father would begin to develop his son into an incredible athlete as Smith grew into a young man he would shine at Lakewood High School during his freshman and sophomore Seasons but would eventually choose to transfer to St Benedict's prep before the start of his junior year so why would he do this well St Benedicts was one of the top programs in the country and their National recognition saw their star shooting guard receive a letter that only 23 other Americans had gotten inside the envelope was an invitation to to the McDonald's high school All-American Game a multi-day event in which the top Scholastic prospects train and then compete against each other in a nationally televised All-Star Game while most All-Star events are usually just for show the McDonald's game would have all 30 NBA teams send their Scouts to watch because at the time prospects could be selected straight from high school but how would the New Jersey native perform against the nation's top prospects 31st of March 2004 JR Smith who had committed to the University of North Carolina before this game is one of the players who analysts believe can't make the jump straight to the pros yet Smith would knock down deep threes throw down Dunk Contest worthy slams and win co- MVP alongside the national Player of the Year Dwight Howard the rising star had completely shocked not only his teammates but Scouts across the NBA who was suddenly suggesting to the rising guard that he should forgo college and enter his name into the draft with the 18th pick in the 2004 NBA draft the New Orleans Hornet select JR Smith from St Benedict's but was this a smart decision like most rookies back then Jr would have to earn his way into the rotation he initially spent the majority of games on the bench slowly proving himself to his former NBA championship winning point guard now head coach Byron Scott as the winter rolled in Smith thanks to the fact New Orleans had such a young team was given the starting shooting guard role and on December 19th 2005 the Phoenix Suns were powerless to stop the 19-year-old silky smooth jumper not even fouling him could prevent The Hornet's top pick from finding the bottom of the net despite losing this game Jr had proven himself worthy of his starting role ending the night with 23 points and this wasn't all as winter concluded the Hornets freshman had been named as the Western Conference rookie of the month in January February and March his 33o EXP explosion in their final regular season game was the cherry on top of what should have been a successful first year in the league however issues were beginning to arise between the Young shooting guard and his head coach because while Jr was clearly talented his basketball IQ lagged far behind his ability to score Smith would routinely dribble the ball for full possessions only to then jack up a terrible shot he would launch highly contested jumpers early in the shot clock and regularly found himself self in poor positions with no one to pass to to make matters worse Byron had no interest in helping his struggling guard and due to The Hornet's youthful roster there weren't any veterans to show the teenager how to play the right way yet things in New Orleans were about to take a serious turn for the worst over the Bahamas forms tropical depression 12 a swirling band of wind and rain it picks up moisture and heat and with them speed as its winds reached 39 mph it be comes a tropical storm and is given a name Katrina New Orleans lies in shambles it is left without power without drinking water many residents are stranded on rooftops desperate to be rescued nearly 2,000 people tragically lost their lives and the Hornets home arena was completely inaccessible Jr alongside New Orleans 2005 draft pick Chris Paul were facing the reality of their 2005 2006 season being cancelled however mck cornette the mayor of Oklahoma would contact the NBA's commissioner David Stern with a simple solution desperate to save Louisiana's franchise Stern would agree to cornet's plan allowing a temporary move of the Hornets to Oklahoma Jr was a static Not only was his season saved but he now had an incredible point guard as his back court running mate someone who could manipulate the offense and get him even more shots however head coach Byron Scott interested in developing his sophomore shooting guard and frustrated with his lackluster basketball IQ would bench Jr angered with his coach's decision Smith would seek answers from his leader only to be ignored so in the same fashion as his supposed Mentor the Oklahoma guard would look to the media to make his feelings known stating it would be best for me to go elsewhere as the season came to a close Jr's wish would come true the Hornets had traded the player who they thought would become a franchise Cornerstone to the Chicago Bulls who shortly after receiving the former 18th pick would send him to the Denver Nuggets Smith upon arriving in Colorado realized this team was nothing like the Hornets no head coach George Carle and the Nuggets organization had Championship intentions however on December 16th 2006 everything would change for the Young shooting guard because as the Denver guard went up for a standard fast break layup New York next forward Marty Collins fou Smith aggressive ly which Jr took immediate exception to a massive bra would break out and given the recent events of the malice in the palace and David Stern's attempt to improve the image of the league all involved were handed heavy suspensions Jr's Superstar teammate camalo Anthony would be sidelined for 15 games and his shooting guard would receive a 10 game suspension himself but while Denver's main offensive threats were gone the team would add someone who could potentially turn them from a playoff contending team to a Championship contending team the arrival of the 2001 NBA MVP alen Iverson saw the Nuggets grab the sixth seed in the Western Conference meaning the former Hornet was set to make his playoff debut against the 2003 and 2005 NBA championship winning San Antonio Spurs but the now 21-year-old guard was still struggling with his basketball IQ he was often unable to find open teammates he would regularly dribble himself into multiple Defenders and it seemed like every time the ball hit his hands it was going to be dribbled multiple times and then launched at the room coach Carl who had developed his coaching skills under the legendary North Carolina head coach Dean Smith shared after their game four loss that the way his shooting guard played was like watching the Dignity of the game being insulted right in front of him as a result of George car's view Jr would not play a single minute in game five and the wouldbe 2007 NBA champion Spurs would easily move past the nuggets as the game concluded Smith would sit frustrated in the locker room he didn't understand why his coaches insisted on insulting the way he played not only to his face but to the media rather than actually helping him understand what was required of him yet Coach KL would think of a genius way to solve his issues with his shooting guard however before he could Implement them Jr's life was about to take a dramatic turn on a warm evening in June of 2007 Smith would pick up his close friend Andre Bell to bring him back to his home for barbecue yet the Nuggets guard began driving recklessly almost doubling the speed limit and ignoring traffic signals on his way home Jr would run straight through a stop sign resulting in a collision with another vehicle and because neither Smith nor Bell were wearing their seat belts the pair were sent flying out the front windshield while Jr would escape with his life Bell was not as fortunate the NBA guard was set to be sentenced for his behavior in 2009 22nd of February 2008 Denver is visiting the Bulls in Chicago however Smith is no longer starting no George caryle has moved his scorer to the bench for one simple reason as the game progressed the now sixth man was on fire displaying his ability to not only make normal shots but incredibly difficult fading step backs on route to setting a new career high 43 points while the Nuggets would lose this regular season game the decision by coach Kyle was genius also this might sound crazy but a genius decision that you can make right now is to make sure that you're subscribed JR could now enter the game with one goal in mind score and he was beginning to Showcase a unique skill felt like at the end of the shot clocks going back to when I was a kid in the backyard feel like I always make those shots for whatever reason during the course of the game it's like I could be wide open in the corner and I hit the side of the backboard hit the side of the rim but give me that ball within 2 seconds I feel like it's going in for sure but Denver would run into some issues as despite finishing with 50 wins the Western Conference was loaded their incredible win loss record was only good enough for the eighth seed therefore if they wanted to win a title they would have to get past the championship favorite number one seed Los Angeles Lakers in the first round Jr would continue to flourish in his new off the- bench role as the series continued he averaged 18. 3 points on 53% shooting however Kobe Bryant and his Lakers were on a mission it didn't matter who coach Kyle threw at Kobe nothing was going to slow him down on his path to an NBA title the Lakers Superstar scored 49 points in game two and would close out the series with 31 in game four sweeping Smith and his nuggets out of title contention something had to change in Denver and soon so Chanty bips the 2004 NBA Finals MVP and native to the Colorado area was traded by the Detroit Pistons to his hometown team in exchange for alen Iverson just three games into the 2008 2009 season but why would Denver trade who was arguably the pound-for-pound greatest player of all time April 13th 2009 in the Nuggets final regular season game thanks to their new Point guard's ability to distribute the ball Jr would set a new career high of 11 made Theses resulting in a another career-high 45 points Denver had won their 54th game that season enough wins to have them finish second in the Western Conference and they were ready to compete for an NBA title as the first and second rounds continued the Nugget sixthman would average 16. 3 points aiding his team to Series victories against the Hornets and the Dallas Mavericks Denver had found themselves in a rematch against the Los Angeles Lakers this time in the Western Conference Finals however Games 1 2 and three s Smith only make eight of his 35 field goal attempts a terrible performance that would result in Los Angeles holding a two games to one lead Jr knew he had to step up or for the second year in a row it would be the Nuggets heading home at the hands of Kobe Bryant May 25th 2009 despite only playing 28 minutes off the bench the star six-man would decimate the Lakers defense nearly scoring a point for every minute he played Denver's bench Stars refresh performance helped his nuggets to tie the series and everyone including the Eastern Conference Champion or and Magic began to feel a shift in the series but Kobe Bryant fueled by his failure in the 2008 NBA Finals would decimate the Denver Nuggets defense nothing and I mean nothing could slow him down Bryant would drop 35 in game six Jr's 24-point Performance Off the Bench was meaningless as Los Angeles for the second year in a row eliminated the Denver Nuggets and this wasn't all because during the off season Smith was sentenced for his Reckless Drve incident that resulted in the death of his close friend in 2007 the judge would hand the now 23-year-old a 90-day prison sentence which was eventually reduced to just 30 plus hundreds of hours of community service as JR sat in his cell he would reflect on his life so far and the time away from his newborn daughter devastated the Nuggets guard therefore he vowed to make a change once his five-game suspension from the NBA had ended Smith eager to prove himself would approach his head coach and ask about moving from the bench to the starting lineup but coach kyl viewed his scorer in a different light as in his eyes it was more important who finished games which Jr was and that the starting five was ultimately irrelevant yet Smith was uninterested in listening to his Leader's opinion he wanted to start and that was that this conflict of opinions was just another issue on an already large pile of problems between the peir and the Nuggets failure in both the 2010 and 2011 Seasons only caused these dramas to be magnified because Jr wasn't the only person unhappy with his role as the owners of all 30 NBA teams were upset with the amount their players were earning this disagreement would result in the players being locked out of the 2011 2012 season meaning Not only was the year put on hold but athletes weren't even allowed to enter their team's training facilities while Superstars such as Lebron James or Kevin Durant were able to use this opportunity to just focus on training and playing in exhibition games regular NBA players like Smith were faced with a serious dilemma remain in the states train but make Zer doar or play overseas and potentially miss out on the season if it does resume November 26th 2011 after months of negotiation the NBA owners and the Players Association have finally reached a new deal the 20 2011 2012 season will actually go ahead presuming on Christmas day that year however Jr has an issue he's currently in China locked in to a 1-year $3 million contract with the AG young golden Bulls which according to the Chinese Basketball Association rules cannot be ended early the former nugget scorer is stuck in China but he wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste no Jr would record an insane 60 points off the bench and then and insane 52 points alongside 22 rebounds in another regular season game yet while his oncore play was impressive what he was doing off the court began to raise eyebrows worldwide because the Golden Bull star allegedly missed the majority of their practices and according to highly respected NBA journalist Adrien wojanowski jar would order room service spending thousands on the team's budget to his hotel room but not to eat it just to find out if they would keep bringing it up to him upon the conclusion of his time in Zang and given reports of his offc court Antics would anyone actually sign the free agent guard well Carmelo Anthony who had been traded to the New York Knicks before the lockout season began knew just how gifted his former teammate was therefore Anthony urged Nick's management to bring in the six-man so on February 17th 2012 the Nicks would sign the former Denver Nugget but given his on court IQ issues would he fit in with New York York or would this be the end of his career Mike Woodson an EXO guard who was drafted 12th in the 1980 NBA draft by the New York Knicks was appointed to be their head coach shortly after Jr arrived Woodson was considered by many to be a players coach his time playing in the league meant he understood what his athletes were actually going through resulting in an instant bond between coach Mike and his new shooting guard while the Knicks were eliminated in just the first round of the 2012 playoffs it was clear they were building towards something special the main difference between his time in Denver and his time in New York was that he actually had the support of his head coach in tight game-winning situations coach Woodson would draw plays up for his six-man using it Smith puts it up for the win it's gone it's gone J Smith Smith catches shoots puts it out puts it in and as the year progressed Smith would sit a new career high averaging 18.

1 points per game over the regular season and this wasn't all because due to his refreshed play Off the Bench the NBA would award the former Misfit the sixthman of the Year award recognition of just how far he had come since entering the league as a teenager Not only was the scorer developing individually the Knicks were dominating as a team holding a 3 lead against the Boston Celtics in the first round until Jr would do this Mar you that he saved our season offensive foul on JR Smith his actions resulting in a single game suspension New York without their six-man of the year would lose both games four and five giving the feisty Celtics a glimmer of hope while New York did close out Boston in game six their shooting guard was yet again struggling with his basketball IQ the bright green light he had been given by his head coach began to highlight the greatest flaw in his game as much like his time with the Hornets and the Nuggets each time the ball hit his hands Smith would end up shooting a poor shot resulting in his field goal percentage plummeting and his Knicks being eliminated in just the second round by the Indiana Pacers and this was just the start of the real issues for Jr firstly for the second time Smith was suspended for the first five games of the 2013 2014 season why well he had violated the NBA's drug policy Not only would he face punishment from the league but his onc cour struggles only got worse because late in a regular season game versus the Houston Rockets Jr would end up with the basketball in his hands with mere seconds remaining while he usually shined in these moments this time saw Smith ignore a wide open Carmelo Anthony and then eventually pass up the game-winning shot attempt and then as the season came to a close the next shooting guard would do the exact opposite against the Miami he the now 28-year-old would set an NBA record which still stands to this day attempting an insane 223s by himself while he did manage to make 10 of them the Knicks would ultimately lose once again and it only gets crazier as in another bizarre move by the former 18th pick when lining up for free throws Smith would often untie or at least attempt to untie his opponent's shoelaces a move that not only frustrated his opposition but also also the league the NBA would hand the next bench star a whopping $50,000 fine for his confusing act with New York failing to make the playoffs and only a single year left on his contract manyi assumed the 20145 season would be his last because Phil Jackson Another former New York knck turn coach was hired by his ex- team to become their president before the 20145 season began his first move was simple hiring head coach his own former point guard Derek fiser to implement the offensive system that had won him 11 championship trophies the triangle but there was an issue with this move as the next roster was built for a fastpaced offensive system that maximized their current Talent so Phil Jackson simply traded away all the players who he felt no longer suited his signature strategy yet no one and I mean no one was interested in taking on JR Smith until a few days before the trade deadline a certain Mega star made a promise to his general manager LeBron James who had decided to return to his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers before the 20145 season had one goal in mind bring a Pro Sport Championship to Ohio James knew all he needed to be successful was to be surrounded with Elite Shooters who were athletic enough to guard most positions on the floor therefore he promised Cavs GM Dan Gilbert he would keep the misfit former six-man of the year in check and teach him what was required to become a champion so right before the trade deadline Jackson would trade am man shpet and throw in Jr to the Cavaliers yet how would Smith who was used to carrying a heavy scoring load be able to fit in with two Mega stars as the regular season came to a close JR Smith would finally begin to learn the lessons he had failed to be taught during his time in New Orleans Denver and New York he was learning exactly what it took to be a champion every single member of the Cavaliers would show up early and leave way later to put in extra work Smith would begin to find comfort in his new role and Cleveland would end the season as the number two seed in the Eastern Conference however much like the last time he faced Boston Jr would take a swing at Celtics Ford Jay Crowder his reputation forced the NBA to suspend the now starting shooting guard for the next two games yet this time once he returned Smith continued to flourish his new role didn't mean he lost his green light all that changed was the type of shots he was taking now he was mainly focused on shooting catch and shoot threes rarely ever putting a ball on the floor as well as using his incredible athletic gifts to slow down the opposing team shooting guard despite facing some drama against the Chicago Bulls Cleveland would eventually find themselves in the Eastern Conference Finals a matchup they would win without breaking a sweat LeBron Jr and the rest of the Cavaliers were s for their first shot at winning an NBA championship game one overtime Cav's point guard Kyrie Irving attacks against Warrior's guard Klay Thompson but as he went to slam the brakes his knee buckled Irving was removed from the game and rushed to hospital with MRIs revealing the worst not only had Cleveland lost their Superstar guard in their first round matchup against Boston their star power Ford Kevin Love had his shoulder dislocated the Cavaliers Big Three was now just a big one Golden State led by their 2015 NBA MVP Stephan Curry would pick their opponent apart winning the 2015 NBA championship on Cleveland's home floor every single member of the Cavs organization was devastated vowing that they would never let this happen ever again however on January 18th 2016 Golden State would once again decimate the Cavaliers ending this regular season game with a whopping 30 4 Point Victory David Griffin knew something had to change and fast head coach David blat was fired and their lead assistant former Championship winning point guard Tyron luu was promoted to the top spot immediately coach Lou was able to do something blat had failed to do push his calves into another gear Jr was only getting better in his role he was shooting at a near League best 40% from three and his ability to lock up opposing Stars was only improving with each passing day LeBron had finally unlocked the true JR Smith I think what's getting overlooked in this whole thing is the other side of floor with JR people are overlooking what he's doing defensively you know since he got here Cleveland rounded out their 2015 2016 campaign by steamrolling their way back to the NBA finals yet the Warriors had also found another gear in fact it was like watching Vin Diesel in Fast and Furious they had somehow found like eight more gears state had broken a record that many thought would never be touched they won a whopping 73 regular season games beating the former record holder 72 and 10 1996 Bulls Stephen Curry had won the MVP once again but this time he became the first and only unanimous winner not a single voter had selected anyone else unsurprisingly throughout the finals it was Golden State who held a commanding three games to one lead and with game five said to be played in San Francisco many assumed this is where the caves would be laid to rest uh I mean we just know was one game at a time I mean we can't get too ahead of ourselves we just got to be humbl play play our game June 13th 2016 the Cavaliers would put on their alternate black T-shirt jerseys and walk out onto the floor of Oracle Arena with nothing to lose Jr continued to dominate in his role adding 10 vital points whilst his Superstar teammates would both drop a shocking 41 points each achieving the seemingly impossible but golden state was still just a single win away from backto back titles game six the Cavs step foot onto their home court for the last time that season with one goal in mind do not let the Warriors defeat us on our home floor again Smith would defend not only their home court but Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson to the best of his ability he got around every screen with ease contested every shot clay put up and helped his team force a deciding game seven back in San Francisco this was no longer the immature Misfit that shot every single time he got the ball no Jr was becoming one of the most important players in the whole NBA but could he do it in the most important game of his life halim game seven Cleveland has found themselves down by seven points as they walked into the away locker room at Oracle Arena Jr who has struggled in the first half would sit in his locker and reflect on all the work he had put in to get where he was today Smith knew he had to step foot onto that hardwood floor and prove to himself the player that he truly was as the third quarter began the former six-man of the year would score three straight buckets aiding his Cavaliers to retake the lead however the remainder of this win or go home match remained deadlocked neither team could get ahead of the other until Warriors for Andrea Gala was able to get out and transition except one Cavalier was in his way JR Smith would force a goodal and Stephen Curry into multiple passes buying his freight train of a teammate enough time for the greatest Block in the history of the NBA yet a couple of possessions later the score remained stuck at 89 all so Smith set an important screen for his point guard forcing the much smaller step Curry to switch on to Kyrie and the rest is history Curry on one Irving puts it up it's good Kyrie Irving from downtown my spat final seconds it's over it's over Cleveland is a city of Champions once again the Cavaliers are NBA champions hey JR um did you ever think you were going to get to this [Music] point uh I mean I thought about it a lot honestly um getting to this point and the more my career went on it kind of dwindled and it was more about just playing the game and uh I've been playing this game fortunately for me since I was 3 years old um that's one of the reasons why this game is so special to me today is so special to me is on Father's Day my dad put the ball in my crib [Music] and I mean my parents [Music] my family that's the biggest inspiration in my life I've been I've been in a lot of dark spots in my life and if it wasn't for them I wouldn't be able to get out of it but they are who they are they f with me they yelled at me they screamed at me they love me they hug me they CED with me and they always stuck by my side no matter right or wrong and I know a lot of people don't have I know a lot of people don't have their parents in their life their mother or their father but I got the best two you can ask for I swear my dad is my easily one of my biggest Inspirations to play this game and honestly if it wasn't for them if it wasn't for the structure and the backbone that I have I wouldn't be able to mess up and keep coming back and being able to sit in front of you as a world champion now that JR Smith was an NBA champion he would sit a new goal win a second tell tell Jr and everybody put on a shirt though that's it all right take care now however in a regular season game against the Milwaukee Bucks the shooting guard would greet bucks player Jason Terry who was sitting on their bench while there's nothing wrong with saying hi to an old friend there is something wrong with doing it while you're supposed to be playing defense and and this wasn't all as shortly after the former six-man would fracture his thumb forcing him to sit out 3 months during the regular season yet his caves were still dominant Jr Smith's arrival back into the lineup before the playoffs saw Cleveland once again decimate their way back to the NBA finals for another matchup against the Golden State Warriors but this time they hadn't gone 73 and9 instead Oklahoma City Thunder Superstar and 2014 NBA MVP Kevin Durant after losing to the Warriors in the 201516 playoffs decided to join forces with Stephen Curry to form what many consider to be the deadliest starting lineup in the history of the league Jr Smith's 25-point night in game five was like shooting a spitball at a castle nothing Cleveland did was anywhere near enough to slow down a team that had four future Hall of Famers all in the prime of their careers Golden State would get their revenge and things were about to take a dramatic turn in Ohio firstly Kyrie Irving frustrated with playing in the shadow of LeBron James decided he wanted a fresh start where he could be the main focus of his ball Club whilst losing one of the best point guards in the NBA depleted the Cavaliers roster they still had LeBron James K Love and an incredible Supporting Cast headlined by a healthy JR Smith the Cav starting shooting guard would appear in 80 games during the 2017 2018 season and their reto roster would grab them the fourth seed of the Eastern Conference earning them a first round matchup against the Indiana Pacers April 20th 2018 thanks to an incredible turnaround three from Kevin Love and Darren Collison missing his final free throw the Cavs are down two with 5 seconds remaining but Smith in typical Jr fashion decided to jack up an incredibly tough game-winning attempt while if you just focus on Smith you would be okay with this shot if you look to the left Jordan Clarkson was wide open on the wing therefore once again Jr's basketball IQ had cost his team a game and Cleveland was now down two games to one for what seemed like the 1 millionth time LeBron James had to put his team on his back thankfully for Smith James's dominance would Rectify his mistake with LeBron not only carrying his team past the Pacers but all the way back to the NBA finals for another matchup against you guess at the Golden State Warriors May 31st 2018 jar and his Cavaliers are down a single point with mere seconds remaining however with the ball in LeBron's hands the Warriors defense completely forgot about George Hill who forced Thompson to foul him otherwise he would have gotten a wide open layup Hill would step to the line and sink the first free throw tying the game however George would Breck the second but thankfully Jr would sky for the rebound all he had to do was wait where is he going is he calling timeout no wait what and we'll go to overtime you get the feeling Jr thought they had the lead throw it in throw it Kone and that'll do it angered by his teammates lack of awareness and IQ LeBron would enter the locker room after they threw game one down the drain and punched the Whiteboard so hard that he broke his hand while the Superstar initially downplayed the severity of his injury he admitted the true extent of his problems after being swept out of another championship by Golden State as the offseason began LeBron James would leave the Cavaliers and move to the Los Angeles Lakers Cleveland without a clear Superstar would enter a reboot trading away or benching high level players in order to tank for a higher draft pick Jr was forced to spend the entire 2018 2019 season riding the bench as no one was interested in trading for the former six-man of the year after his game one mistake but as the league entered the NBA bubble in 2020 LeBron James for the second time would urge his Lakers to sign his former starting shooting guard while JR Smith barely saw the court as Los Angeles won the 2020 NBA title he was ecstatic to have been able to round out his career having achieved the goal he set for himself after winning the 2016 finals despite being 34 years old and still shooting at a near League best whilst also retaining some of his athletic skills not a single NBA team was interested in bringing on the time Champion Jr without the sport he loved was lost Smith began to reflect on the decisions he had made throughout his life and his new found Spare Time gave him an opportunity to learn more about his Heritage as well as exploring another sport he could succeed in the ex-nba player would walk on to North Carolina AT&T's college golf team where he would achieve a 4. 0 GPA in his first semester as a Collegiate athlete and he's currently considering becoming an athletic director or coaching in his future after spending the past month and over 200 hours making this video I truly believe if Smith had began his NBA career either in a better situation or having spent a year or two at North Carolina we wouldn't be talking about just a six-man of the year but perhaps a multiple time Allstar who was worthy of Max contracts let me know what you think could JR Smith if he had actually been taught how to play the game much earlier than 2015 have had a much better career also did you know that one of J.