One of the main topics that come up when discussing J.R. Smith is his talent and not too far behind comes the topic of his immaturity. Many people feel like he should be a perennial All-Star, but after eight tumultuous seasons, he has yet to untap his potential. He's been through many ups and downs since skipping college and jumping to the pros. Smith is on his third team, has had problems with Bryon Scott in New Orleans and George Karl in Denver, was involved in a car accident that led to the death of a childhood friend and has had some social media trouble recently. But, his talent overshadows all of that. Coaches still think they can fix him and J.R. believes that he can change. Grantland's Jonathan Abrams tried to make sense of it all. He wrote a great piece in which he talks to folks that know Smith more than he knows himself—his father, friends and former basketball coaches—to better understand the man underneath all those tatts.
#koldgame
[via Grantland]
