Nuggets guard J.R. Smith has pledged to be more mature this season in the wake of a 24-day stint in jail for reckless driving.

"Know every time that I do something it doesn't affect just me," Smith to the Associated Press. "It affects my family, my friends, my team, players and coaches."

Smith admitted to driving an SUV through a stop sign and colliding with a car in the summer of 2007. His friend, Andre Bell, later died from his injuries.

"We've had some very, very in-depth conversations about him growing up," teammate Chauncey Billups said. "He has the opportunity of a lifetime and we're going to really need him, we're going to depend on him a lot this year."

Smith has claimed he's grown up in the past.

"I've said in the past that I've matured," Smith said. "Now, it's not about saying -— it's about showing."

Via Yahoo! Sports

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