The role of the first man coming off the bench is often overlooked and somewhat thankless in today's NBA landscape. No matter how talented a player may be, he usually won't find himself in a position to take control of the game from the opening tip. Instead, he is expected to provide a spark of energy when needed and try to create some magic in between the first and second units.
Throughout NBA history, there have not been many players who embraced the role of instant offense quite like J.R. Smith . During his 16-year career, the former high-flyer built a reputation as one of the league's ultimate microwave scorers, capable of heating up in a matter of minutes and completely changing the course of a ball game.
Smith even won the highest recognition a bench player can receive when he was named Sixth Man of the Year in 2013. However, as he recently admitted, he never really saw the award as a victory. In fact, it felt more like a reminder that he was not where he believed he should have been.
"The 2013 season for me, I was kind of pissed off because the start of the season I was supposed to start. And Mike Woodson came to me literally the first day of training camp and told me I wasn't going to start," Smith shared with the NBAT2.
"Like at that point in time, I just felt like I was continuously proving myself. Like in practice, I tried to make it a point to show you why I should be starting. You know, when I played against other teams, I tried to make it a point to show them why I should be starting on my team and if not for your team," the retired high-flyer added.
The 2012-13 season was supposed to be remembered for all the right reasons for J.R.
The Sixth Man of the Year Award. The New York Knicks finished with 54 wins, their best record in more than a decade. A playoff appearance and a team that looked capable of making noise in the Eastern Conference. But as Smith explained, the roots of his frustration started way before the season had even begun.
After years of proving himself as a scorer from the second unit, Smith genuinely believed he had earned a place among the starters. However, then-head coach Mike Woodson delivered news he did not want to hear, that it simply was not going to happen. And so it stayed that way.
Smith appeared in 80 games that season, averaging 18.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists while not starting a single game. Truth be told, his production off the bench became one of the biggest reasons why the Knicks enjoyed so much success throughout the regular season, because, night after night, J.R. gave opposing second units problems and often found himself closing games alongside the starters. Yet, that was not enough for him at the time... "Swoosh" wanted to do so much more.
"It kind of felt like a slap in the face to me, honestly, because I felt like I should have been an All-Star. I should have been one of the first All-Stars to come off the bench. Then we get to the end of the year, you give me this trophy to where it's like, you know, be satisfied. And I was just so upset because I wasn't even a thought. It kind of made me upset," J.R. admitted.
There are many players who built entire careers around producing when their number was called while rarely starting games, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Just think about all of the Jamal Crawfords and Lou Williamses of the world, and for most players, winning Sixth Man of the Year would be considered a career highlight.
For Smith, it was just, well, a slap in the face.
Sure, it was an acknowledgment of his impact on that very good Knicks squad, but in the end, it did not align with how he viewed himself as a player. J.R. never saw himself as simply the best reserve in basketball.
Whether people agree with that assessment or not is a different conversation. But for Smith, the Sixth Man trophy wasn't supposed to be his highest honor. He wanted more, and believes that was the opportunity that got away.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 15, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
