Is J.R. Smith’s Struggles a ‘Mo Williams’ Like Concern?
The Cleveland Cavaliers are 2-0 in the 1st Round of the NBA Playoffs and yet J.R. Smith has us a little concerned. Beating the Boston Celtics, based solely on talent alone, should not be a problem. The Cavs have bigger aspirations and will need J.R. to be the J.R. Swish that we fell in love with in his 46 regular season games.
So far that has not happened in this playoff series with the Celtics. So far Smith is shooting 29% from the field, including a lousy 20% from 3 point land. He is averaging 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2.5 steals and a whopping 3.5 fouls in under 27 minutes. Compare his shooting to the regular season where he shot 43% from the field and 39% from deep while averaging 13 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.6 fouls in almost 32 minutes and you see the concern.
Smith’s drops in shooting percentage, along with his foul trouble (frustration played some role), has led to less time on the floor. In fact, looking back at the last two years he was in the post-season with the New York Knicks, we see even more cause for concern. Playing over 31 minutes in ’11-12 and ’12-13, Smith shot 31 and 33% from the field and 18% and 27% from deep. In those years he was taking about 15 shots a game, including over 5 three pointers.
Not exactly a sign of a player playing well in the biggest games.
Cleveland Cavaliers fans unfortunately can point back to their most recent NBA Playoffs experience for someone who struggled mightily in the brightest lights. Mo Williams was LeBron James‘ sidekick the last time LBJ took to Playoffs as a Cav. Williams shot 47 % and 44% from the field in his two regular seasons with LeBron, come playoffs the numbers dropped to 41% both years. In the regular season Williams shot 44% and 42% from deep, in the playoffs those numbers dropped to 37% and 33%. Huge drops for a player averaging over 12 shots and 5 three pointers per game.
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There are a few big differences between Williams and Smith. For Williams his playoff experience was his 1st as a key contributor, after a 5 game series a few years prior. Smith was important for both the Denver Nuggets and the Knicks in years past. Williams was also the Cavs #2 in those two seasons, while Smith is often 3rd, 4th or 5th on the Cavs list. Finally, Williams got toasted on defense while Smith plays a good, aggressive defense when on the floor.
We are only two games in, J.R. could unload his normal flurry of 3 pointers in the hostile crowd in Game 3 and shove this article back in our face. We would love nothing more. However, his drop off in production and the last two years in the NBA Playoffs with the Knicks gives us a bit of concern.
We have seen the struggles Cavs guards can have in the NBA Playoffs. Let us all hope that J.R. Smith struggles don’t rise to the Mo Williams level.
How concerned are you about J.R. Smith’s struggles in the 1st two games on the NBA Playoffs?