Nick Smith Jr. stepping up for the Lakers against the Blazers had all the makings of a feel-good Hollywood movie. The shorthanded Lakers relied on their two-way guy to play 27 minutes on the road and he delivered, scoring 25 points in the road win.
To add even more drama, Smith Jr. was not feeling well and threw up at halftime, then dominated in the third and fourth quarters.
The team bombarded Smith Jr. with chest bumps on the bench after a deep 3-pointer late in the fourth forced a Portland timeout and put the Blazers away for good.
After the win, Lakers veteran Marcus Smart explained why Smith Jr.’s performance overjoyed him.
“Nick works his a-- off each and every day,” Smart said. “He’s a special talent with an ability not a lot of people have. It was just good to finally see him able to go out there and show that ability and, like I said, we needed it tonight. I’m happy for him. We all are. Much well-deserved. I’m happy for him and going to give him his flowers today for sure.”
If anyone can appreciate hard work, it’d be Smart. He’s made a living in the NBA by being dominant on defense. That’s not the part of the game that gets the glory. Smart is constantly diving on the floor, playing physical and doing all the other little things that help with winning.
As a vet on the team, he sees everything on and off the floor. He’s one of the team’s leaders and a no-nonsense type of player. If Smith Jr. has already earned Smart’s respect, that says a lot about who he is.
Smith Jr. joined the Lakers literally the day before training camp, but he’s already felt emboldened by his teammates just to be himself.
“My teammates want me to go out there and be me,” Smith Jr. said. “They seen what I could do in training camp and the coaching staff has definitely put an emphasis of just go out there and play my game. If they pressuring you, go out there and make a play.
“That’s something I haven’t gotten in a long time. It’s definitely something to get adjusted to. Obviously, I’m going to make some mistakes – turnovers, stuff like that – but I’m still young and I’ve still got a lot more to go in this league.”
Smith Jr. certainly demonstrated on Monday that he is a bucket. As a two-way player, if he’s on the floor, that likely means head coach JJ Redick is looking for an offensive spark.
Smith Jr. provided that and more against the Blazers and it led to one of the best performances of his career and a victory for the Lakers. Smart has already recognized Smith Jr.’s game, but now every Lakers fan is aware of just how good Smith Jr. is and how he can impact winning.