J.R. Smith worked out for Cavs prior to 2004 NBA Draft

The Cleveland Cavaliers had a chance to draft J.R. Smith in the 2004 NBA Draft but selected the University of Oregon’s Luke Jackson instead.

In a story for Joe Gabriele of cavs.com, J.R. Smith acknowledged working out for the Cleveland Cavaliers prior to the 2004 NBA Draft.

That draft would also produce future Cavs in Anderson Varejao, a fan favorite, and Delonte West. However, while Smith has been a standout in the last three seasons, starting at shooting guard for perennial title contenders, he had the same reputation in high school as the one that followed him up to the trade that landed him in The Land.

He’s a bad apple but a talented shooter and has some type of untapped potential that makes him an exhilarating player to watch, if frustrating.

Although the Cavs could have used a player with his offensive skillset (they would sign shooting guard Larry Hughes, a three-point threat with playmaking ability, a month later), they passed on Smith to select Luke Jackson out of the University of Oregon.

Here’s the transcript of the conversation between Gabriele and Smith:

"JG: The Cavs had the No. 10 overall pick in that Draft and you worked out for Cleveland. Was there any chance (or hope) that you’d wind up here?Smith: I remember I worked out for Cleveland. And, yeah, for sure I would’ve loved to land here.Obviously, having a relationship with LeBron back then – it’s not what it is now – but I talked to my agent at the time and they definitely said it’s a possibility. But …JG: Do you remember who we took?Smith: Luke Jackson. I remember."

Jackson would average 2.7 points, 1.0 rebound and 0.6 assists per game while shooting 34.8 percent from the field in two season with the Cavs before being traded for Dwayne Jones (who, coincidentally, averaged 1.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per games for the Cavs in two seasons) . He did, however, shoot 38.1 percent from three-point range.

Smith wound up being drafted by the New Orleans Hornets (now the Pelicans) with the 18th overall pick in the draft and traded to the Chicago Bulls (and the Denver Nuggets, a week later) two seasons later. He would averaged 9.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.7 assists per game while shooting 39.4 percent from the field and 31.2 percent from three-point range.

Smith was drafted straight out of high school (St. Benedict’s Prep) in the years when prep-to-pro superstars were becoming a normal occurrence (Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady and A’mare Stoudemire just to name a few). In fact, LeBron James had just been drafted the year prior and (of course) selected by the Cavs.

So, while there was concern about Smith’s maturity, shot selection and dedication to being a complete player, his potential nearly allowed him to be a lottery pick.

It’s unfortunate that the Cavs passed up on Smith although one could also say that the journey Smith took was necessary for him to become the player he is now. However, the Cleveland Cavaliers also passed up on players like Al Jefferson, Kevin Martin, Trevor Ariza, Tony Allen on the way to selecting Jackson.

Jackson is currently serving as the head coach of Northwest Christian University, a Division-II school, after playing four seasons in the NBA, three seasons in the NBA Development League (currently ‘G-League’) and two seasons in Europe.

*All stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com