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The Cavs Can’t Afford To Lose J.R. Smith

By Jared Kungle

Apr 3, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith (5) shoots a three-point basket in the third quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 3, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith (5) shoots a three-point basket in the third quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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There are already concerns with the Cleveland Cavaliers depth, losing J.R. Smit would not be good for the team.

After injuring his right thumb against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, J.R. Smith underwent tests which came back inconclusive, according to cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon. He will get further evaluation upon return to Cleveland today. While Smith’s status for Wednesday’s home game against the Bucks is still uncertain, losing the sharpshooter for any amount of time could be a bad thing for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers are already without Chris Andersen, who is out for the season after tearing his ACL and Kevin Love, who missed Tuesday’s game in Milwaukee. Head coach Tyronn Lue doesn’t have an update for when Love will return to the lineup.

These injuries, on top of Mo Williams retirement fiasco, leave the Cavaliers with four players on the active roster who can not play. This could be troublesome for the Cavaliers, especially with a NBA Finals rematch coming up on Christmas day.

Heading into the game against the Warriors without Smith is not a good thing for the Cavaliers. In the finals last season, Smith was able to do a good job sticking to Klay Thompson and making sure he didn’t get wide-open shots. He also provided an offensive spark, averaging 10.6 points on 40 percent from the field.

Outside of just the game against the Warriors, the Cavaliers have a real lack of depth in the backcourt. If Smith were to miss an extended amount of time, it would call for first-year Cavalier DeAndre Liggins to step into the starting role, which he has already done this season in Smith’s absence.

Liggins, 28, is a pesky defender, but simply doesn’t provide the same offensive spark that Smith is able to provide. In 18 games (four starts) this season, Liggins is averaging just 2.9 points per game. This is a big difference from the 8.6 points per game that Smith averages.

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In addition, despite what his 60.0 percent average from behind the arc may suggest, Liggins is only taking 0.9 three-pointers per game. The Cavs like to spread the floor as much as possible and get wide-open threes; however, with Liggins in the lineup instead of Smith, the Cavaliers won’t have as much spacing as they are accustomed to because he simply isn’t the threat-point threat that Smith is in reputation or in volume.

The loss of Smith also potentially means more playing time for Mike Dunleavy. In 19 games with the Cavaliers this season, Dunleavy has been a major disappointment, averaging 4.3 points on a dismal 32 percent from outside of the arc. Before coming to Cleveland, the 36-year-old was a reliable scorer who could knock down the three-ball at a consistent rate. That hasn’t been the case at all this season.

With a lack depth in the backcourt, the Cavaliers simply can’t afford to lose Smith to injury. Nobody on the roster can get hot and stay hot like Smith. He’s also one of few volume shooters the Cavaliers have available.

Losing Smith to a thumb injury would not be good for the Cavaliers, especially with a NBA Finals rematch in the team’s sights.

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Can the Cleveland Cavaliers succeed in spite of a major injury to J.R. Smith? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below or on Twitter by mentioning @KJG_NBA.