By Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey)

J.R. Smith’s career has been one giant roller coaster. He’s had remarkable stretches, one of which even won him the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award in 2012-13. He’s also been known his team out of games time and time again.

One thing remains consistent about J.R. Smith, though - his play when Lil’ Wayne, his favorite rapper, drops a mixtape or album. If his Young Money neck tattoo wasn’t enough to convince you he’s a big supporter of Wayne, here’s a tweet from 2012 to prove it:

Have a look at J.R. Smith’s averages when Wayne releases a project (click to enlarge):





Now, I can’t guarantee J.R. listened to these albums and mixtapes before he played in his next game. I can say, though, his shot totals show he’s a bit juiced up in these contests. One thing that was evident during the study was that J.R. hit a hot streak a couple of these times. Most notably, his 32-pt showing in Boston in 2013 was followed by a 35-pt outing, and then a 37-pt performance.

I learned two things. J.R. was really excited for that Young Money collab, and he didn’t think Rebirth was total garbage. Let’s see what happens if Dedication 6 drops during the season!