JR Smith Injury: Updates on Knicks Guard’s Knee

Fresh off the signing of his new contract with the New York Knicks, polarizing NBA guard J.R. Smith underwent knee surgery.    

ESPN’s Ian Begley has the details and expected recovery period:

That would bring Smith back to action sometime between Oct. 7 and Nov. 4, give or take a few weeks. Therefore, his availability for the regular-season opener will be a hot topic as the season nears.

Smith, of course, officially re-signed with the Knicks last week on a four-year deal, but as the New York Post‘s Marc Berman explains, the organization was fully aware of his injured knee during negotiations:

The reigning Sixth Man of the Year enjoyed a career year last season, averaging 18.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals in 33.5 minutes per contest off the bench. 

Of course, while Smith has established himself as a truly deadly offensive weapon in the league, he is a volume shooter through and through. When he’s “on,” he is the epitome of instant offense. When he’s “off,” though, he is nearly as frustrating as he is inefficient. 

But despite being so enigmatic, the energy he brings off the bench has proven to be both infectious and crucial to the Knicks’ success.  

Now that Smith is in the long-term plans of the team, however, getting him completely healthy is obviously priority No. 1 for both Smith and the Knicks.