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JR Smith Locking Down Defensively

By Luke Sicari

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J.R. Smith has always been an offensive weapon but the Cleveland Cavaliers guard has been great defensively as well this year.

Last season’s trade to bring Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith to the Cleveland Cavaliers was done for a few reasons. Shumpert was brought to Cleveland by GM David Griffin to give the team a more defensive identity, as Shumpert is one of the leagues best perimeter defenders. Bringing in Shumpert to help fix the defense was a very safe option.

Many on the other hand saw Smith as a risky move but due to LeBron James’ endorsement, the Cavs took the gamble. The Cavaliers were planning to use Smith, as a sixth man and his role would be to provide the Cavs with a burst of offensive energy. While all of that is true and has worked out well for Cleveland, the world is seeing a different side of Smith this season.

With Shumpert still sidelined due to a wrist injury he suffered just days before training camp, Smith was required to increase his workload as the season began. He was moved into the starting line-up (something that was also done last season) and Cleveland needed more out of him defensively. While Smith took a little bit of time to rediscover his shooting stroke, Smith’s defense and hustle and effort on the defensive end of the floor has simply been great during the Cavs 13-4 start.

While some may be surprised that Smith has taken such a step on defense this season, Coach David Blatt isn’t one of them, as he explained to Chris Fedor of cleveland.com:

"“When J.R. came last year and he played such great basketball for us from the moment he came in, one of the things that really stood out to me was his two-way play. The guys that are here all the time, they’ve probably heard me say tens of times, that he’s playing good two-way basketball. He’s making the effort at both ends of the court. I’m not surprised. I know he’s capable of it. I know he’s willing to give us that and we need it, obviously, being without a great defender like Shump. We need J.R. to take on even more of a role in that respect and he has risen to the challenge and he doesn’t shy away from the responsibility of it.”"

Smith himself is also more confident on the defensive end, per Fedor:

"“Makes me feel good. All the hard work I’m putting in on the defensive end is starting to pay off and everybody is starting to realize that. That’s my job on this team. We have enough scorers. I have to have a defensive mindset and then when I’m open shoot the ball. They look at me as somebody who can stop their main guy. That’s my job. It’s a challenge. I’m taking it on.”"

Smith has been asked to guard the opponent’s best scorer multiple times during the season and he is doing a good job at it. In the Cavs most recent victory against the Brooklyn Nets, Smith was able to contain Joe Johnson for the most part, due to his energy and intensity on the defensive end. Despite committing a bonehead foul on Johnson in the games closing moments, Smith was still able to contain Johnson. The night before, it was Nicolas Batum who Smith was asked to guard and again, he did a solid job at limiting Batum’s production.

For the season, opposing players are shooting 42.1% when being guarded by Smith, which is 0.5% below their season average. Not a huge a difference but a difference nonetheless. On two-pointers though, opponents are shooting 44.3% when being guarded by Smith, which is 1.5% below their average. The most notable different for offensive players when being guarded by Smith is on shot attempts less then 10 ft from the basket, as opponents are shooting 3.1% below their season average on those attempts.

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These numbers indicate an upswing in both the attention to detail put in by Smith on the defensive end and an increase in his effort on defense. Defense is mainly an effort thing. If players put in even a little bit of effort on the defensive end, the results will mostly by positive. This has been Smith’s problem over his career, as he has always had enough size and athleticism to be a positive on defense. He just has never put in enough effort on that end of the floor. That has changed this season though, as he is finally making the hustle plays that the Cavs need him to.

Being around James has helped Smith be more mature and focus solely on basketball ever since he came to Cleveland. The number of off-court incidents involving Smith has decreased and his overall production on the court has improved, especially on the defensive end. With Shumpert still sidelined, the Cavaliers have needed Smith’s entire defensive effort. Thankfully for them, he is locking down on that end of the floor and the results have been positive.