You Know Things Are Bad When You’re Lobbying For J.R. Smith And Dion Waiters

Following the Los Angeles Lakers 100-93 loss to the Portland Trailblazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference Playoffs on Tuesday night, fans of the Purple & Gold (such as myself) were left grasping for straws when shuffling through the Rolodex of Reason, and immediately thrust into official red alert.

And unfortunately, all we could conjure beyond the statistical finger-pointing was shining the light to the sky in a cry for help…from J.R. Smith and Dion Waiters.

JR Smith and Dion Waiters sat on the bench while KCP and Danny Green threw up 3,000 bricks.

— alex medina (@mrmedina) August 19, 2020

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Jr smith and dion waiters are on the bench while kcp out here building apartment complexes with his shots #PORvsLAL pic.twitter.com/rud7Wnr6Qs

— Han Solo (@ItsYaBoiiSolo) August 19, 2020

JR smith and Dion waiters need some of KCP and Danny Green minutes game 2…

— Myles Hicks (@Myles_Deep) August 19, 2020

Alongside the pleas cried for a staple of LeBron’s career playoff tenure in Smith, and one-time apprentice Waiters, were the deserved shots fired at the output of dud starters Kentavius Caldwell-Pope and playoff verteran Danny Green, who combined for 11 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST.

Shooting was anything shy of wretched for the two: with Danny Green shooting 4-for-12 (2-of-8 3PT), and KCP at the bottom of the barrel, going 0-for-9 from the field. Anthony Davis logged a double-double but not without a slew of brick cannons, shooting 8-for-24 (0-for-5 3PT).

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J.R. Smith’s four playoff stints with Cleveland included some solid shooting contributions, as he went for a combined 280-for-680 from the field (41.1% FGM), along with some noteworthy defensive moments (despite a Game 1 blunder in the 2018 Finals which spawned the timeless meme seen above).

Dion Waiters, while without playoff tenure spent alongside LeBron, has made known the importance of his connection with King James, and frankly couldn’t shoot much worse than the spectacle we witnessed yesterday evening.

Whether or not the two newest members of the Lakers (joining the team after Avery Bradley’s opt-out due to COVID risk) will get a chance at righting the ship in Los Angeles has yet to be determined. But if I were Frank Vogel, I would be searching far and wide for every potential alternative to whatever you want to call Tuesday night’s assembly of talent.

Vogel needs to give JR Smith some minutes with Lebron https://t.co/kCSNj2EtcS

— Isaiah 👑 (@HoodieIsaiah) August 19, 2020