J.R. Smith Says Cleveland's Lack of Nightlife Will Help His Game

For the last decade or so, basketball experts have tried in vain to figure out the human Russian roulette routine that is J.R. Smith. 

His buckets come and go in spurts, with Kanye shrugs for the bad days and rapture for the good ones. Many have guessed at but could never really pinpoint anything that affected Smith’s shooting other than the law of averages and our universe’s twisted sense of humor—that is, until a recent interview with NBA.com’s David Aldridge (h/t Daily News' Peter Botte). 

Speaking on his adjustment to playing with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the former New York Knicks guard told Aldridge that he's looking to be more consistent—and the lack of nightlife will only get him closer to that goal.

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“I think this is the best situation for me, cause there’s nothing but basketball,” Smith said. “There’s nothing you expect but basketball. There’s nothing, there’s no going out, there’s no late nights. There’s video games, basketball and basketball.”

Smith, whose scoring has jumped from 10.9 with the Knicks this season to 14.3 though his first 11 appearances with the Cavaliers, says Cleveland has helped return him to the routines that got him to the NBA. 

“It’s a great thing, because I go back to where I came from. When I grew up…I wasn’t allowed to go out,” Smith told Aldridge. “I missed my prom because I went to an AAU tournament, and all that stuff. For me, it was basketball, basketball, basketball...so now, I get a chance to get back to my roots.”

This is it, guys. J.R. is locking back in. 

After years of bottle service and attempted Rihanna-poaching in New York’s finest nightclubs, Smith is finally bored enough to focus on basketball.

Just nobody tell him about the Dave & Busters in Westlake.

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