JR Smith thinks 2020 Lakers would beat 2016 Cavs

JR Smith believes the current Los Angeles Lakers squad's size would give them an edge in a hypothetical best-of-seven series against his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Smith, who won championships with the 2016 Cavs and 2020 Lakers, was asked to compare the two teams during an appearance on CBS Sports' "All Things Covered with Patrick Peterson & Bryant McFadden" podcast.

"I just think the size that the Lakers have, we just didn't have in Cleveland," Smith said. "In Cleveland, we were more grittier, we played, I think, a little harder, we were much nastier defensively. But the size with the Lakers team with (Anthony Davis) and Dwight (Howard), being able to go back-and-forth with changing the lineups with Markieff (Morris), we weren't that versatile (in Cleveland). We could play multiple different ways in L.A., but in Cleveland, we only had to play one way ... I just think the Lakers team was just too big."

Smith also talked about being motivated to win another title after the Cavs waived him in 2019.

"I never wanted to walk away from the game as somebody who got waived," he said. "I never wanted that on my resume, as somebody who got waived. But then for it to happen, and for it to potentially be retirement after that or whatever, it never sat well with me. So my whole motivation to get back was to be in the situation to win a championship. So when I got in that position, no matter what role they threw at me, that was my main focus."