Despite the fact that he has a tendency to be wildly inconsistent, JR Smith is considered one of the best bench players in the NBA. The New York Knicks swingman won the Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2012-2013 and has averaged 13.4 points per game during his career without starting much. He has apparently had enough of coming off the bench.
Early Tuesday morning, one of Smith’s Twitter followers predicted that he will win the Sixth Man of the Year Award again next season. JR responded that it won’t be happening because he plans on being part of the starting lineup.
Nope no more bench for me!! RT @Stangg_ @TheRealJRSmith getting 6th man this coming season, mark my words
— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) June 10, 2014
That decision will now be left to new Knicks coach Derek Fisher. I’m sure Mike Woodson could tell Fisher all about how difficult Smith can be to manage.
If the Knicks trade Raymond Felton or Iman Shumpert, Smith may end up with a starting spot by default. Still, he has been most productive throughout his career when he comes off the bench. Now that he seems set on starting, Fisher could be faced with the start of a headache.
