The return of J.R. Smith will (still) be the biggest addition that the Cavs can make this season.
According to Joe Vardon of cleveland.com, J.R. Smith aka “Swish”, is going to be getting back to action in the next week.
Boy, do the Cavs need it. Smith will be the biggest in-season acquisition the Cavs make this season and it’s not even close. Smith has his detractors but when he is locked in, like last season, he’s knocking down 40.0 percent of his three-point shots and he’s a versatile, lockdown defender.
Smith is exactly what the Cavs need to make their defense less putrid.
First, we have to remember that Smith has really only one full season with LeBron. The Cavs acquired Smith in a trade in the midway through the 2014-15 season and his thumb injury has cost him most of the 2016-17 season.
The numbers from Smith’s 2014-15 season (Cleveland Cavaliers stats only) show that he averaged 12.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and a 1.4 steals in 31.8 minutes per game. He did all this while shooting 39.0 percent from three-point range. Add that to what Iman Shumpert and Kyle Korver are able to do on the court and all of a sudden the Cavs have the deepest 2-guard spot in the league, with Shumpert and Smith both able to guard all three perimeter positions.
Defense is where Smith makes the biggest impact when compared to the rest of the group. Korver has a -1.8 defensive box plus/minus (DBPM). Shumpert is not much better, regressing to a DBPM of 0.2 after a 2015-16 season where his DBPM was 1.9. Smith’s DBPM isn’t great, rating out at -0.4 last year. However, in the playoffs Smith ratcheted it up to a 1.1.
He’s long, he’s athletic and he’s going to be plenty rested for a postseason push. If he can replicate, or get close to replicating, his 2015-16 campaign on the defensive end, the Cavs suddenly have unmatched depth. Korver can focus on shooting and Shump can focus on playing defense as J.R. is able to contribute on both ends and can relieve the duo of having to be two-way players. Smith’s return won’t necessarily let LeBron James rest because James is the best facilitator the team has and Smith plays well beside James. However, Smith’s presence should ensure that Richard Jefferson doesn’t play too many minutes in the regular season or the playoffs.
Smith has always been the biggest in-season acquisition the Cavs would make as soon as he went down.
He’s just too versatile and explosive as a shooter. He can legitimately take over a game like he did against the Hawks in Game 1 of the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals where hit 8 threes in a game. He can lockdown opposing shooters like Klay Thompson for 30 minutes. What more do you want from an in-season acquisition?
I hope that Deron Williams and the big man who the Cavs pick up contribute but chances are it’s going to be Smith and Kevin Love making the big impact.
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What do you think? Is J.R. Smith the answer to the Cavs defensive woes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.
*All stats referenced from www.basketball-reference.com