Last week, veteran guard J.R. Smith was the center of attention after he aired his frustration with being relegated to the bench shortly after the arrival of All-Star guard Dwyane Wade.
However, the 32-year-old appears to be coming around the idea of coming off the bench this upcoming season, according to Nikki Goel of ClutchPoints.
Smith has an opportunity in front of him to take up a significant reserve role as one of the primary contributors with the second unit. He has shown throughout his career that he can be a strong source of offensive production, which he will be asked to bring to the table next to offseason addition Derrick Rose, both coming off the bench.
Smith could also take up some of the responsibility of getting his teammates involved as a playmaker when Rose decides to become more of a scorer. This may lead to him making a more positive offensive impact on the floor beyond him just shooting the ball.
If Smith can provide that type of consistent production as a reserve, it would bring more depth and scoring to further combat playing the likes of the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors this upcoming season. Ultimately, Smith could find himself playing a critical role despite being moved to the bench.