Ever since J.R. Smith was suspended for elbowing Jason Terry during the Knicks – Celtics series, he hasn’t been himself. Smith earned Sixth man of the year honors for timely scoring and the ability to heat up quickly. However, since coming back from injury, he’s been anything but himself. His shooting has been abysmal.
In fact, it has been so bad that Knicks coach Mike Woodson is considering reducing Smith’s minutes in game 3 vs. Indiana and beyond. If this does happen, keep an eye on Quentin Richardson. Q hit a couple of 3s in garbage time vs. the Pacers in game 2 but he showed that he still has the touch.
“I’ll gauge J.R. as we go along and if I feel he’s not giving me anything, I could always turn to other guys on that bench,” he said. “I feel good about the guys who come in off the bench, just like I feel good about J.R. But if he’s struggling and I feel the need that I got to pull him, I will do that as the head coach.”
H/T: Newsday
