The Los Angeles Lakers arrived in Orlando on Thursday and subsequently made their way into the Walt Disney World bubble. Like every other team, Lakers players must undergo a 48-hour quarantine, accompanied by two negative coronavirus (COVID-19) tests.
Joining them of course was newcomer JR Smith, who appears to be fitting right in with L.A.’s chemistry. Smith was signed this month as a replacement for Avery Bradley, who opted out of the restart in order to help take care of his family.
Smith was signed in part due to his ability to score, but was also picked for his familiarity with LeBron James. Once the Lakers received their first meals in the bubble — a pre-made package delivered directly to their hotel room door — Smith decided to poke a little fun at everything by going on his Instagram Live, some of which was captured byComplex Sports (warning: explicit language):
JR and the Lakers inside the bubble ???????? pic.twitter.com/8ioCuS6xuq
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) July 10, 2020
Smith was texted shortly after and told he needed to get off of his live stream:
“Aw man, they mad at me bro”
JR got a text to shut down his live. ???? pic.twitter.com/pROk6fL0Kj
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) July 10, 2020
Smith has always been known for being an eccentric off-the-court personality, so none of this should be any surprise to fans. But what may be surprising is how quickly he’s getting along with his new teammates.
Featured in his video is Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and JaVale McGee, who are occupying neighboring rooms. Despite having never been on a roster with either of those two, they appeared to already enjoy his company.
This is especially good considering the unique circumstances surrounding Smith’s arrival to L.A.
It’s unclear exactly who texted Smith at the end of his video to tell him to get off of his live stream, but it’s also good to see that Smith is comfortable listening to authority, something that he publicly struggled with towards the end of his tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Part of what has made the Lakers so successful this season has been their chemistry. In addition to fitting well together on the court, everyone really appears to like each other off of it. This will be huge in helping guys like Smith and Dion Waiters make instant impacts.
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