Iman Shumpert comments on trade speculation

Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Iman Shumpert comments on the speculation regarding his future with the team.

According to FanSided’s Ynal Al-Ouri, FanSided’s Mark Carman spoke to Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Iman Shumpert at a basketball camp the latter annually hosts in his hometown of Oak Park, Illinois. Among the subjects discussed were the comparisons between the Golden State Warriors’ budding dynasty and the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls, Kevin Durant signing with the Warriors and, due to constant rumors about his name being involved in trade talks, his own basketball future.

While Shumpert’s statements about the Warriors-Bulls comparisons (Shumpert grew up as a Bulls fan) and Durant’s decision were passionate (don’t compare his Bulls to the Warriors because Jordan never asked Charles Barkley to team up and vice versa), his answer about his future with the Cleveland Cavaliers was a bit more cliche.

"“I understand the business aspect of them [NBA teams] making trades, and signings over there in the West, the having to move people around. If I am one the pieces that has to be moved around then, it is what it is.”"

Shumpert shows a maturity and understanding about why he’s being involved in trade talks with this response.

However, the truth that he left out was that he’s been a particularly inconsistent player in Cleveland. Especially in his role as a three-and-D shooting guard, the only role he could have until he could be trusted to create and make shots for himself off-the-dribble. While Shumpert came into the league as a point guard, he has had trouble controlling the ball, making outside jumpers and finishing around the basket.

The stretches of the season where Shumpert excels on both offense and defense have been few and far between.

Last year, after improving his shooting mechanics and showing his ability to play the lead guard role early in the season, his defense slipped as he continuously let players get by him on the perimeter. Eventually, his offensive efficacy began to wane as his shots clanked off the rim like it was the 2015-2016 season again.

In the 2016-2017 season, Shumpert shot 40.3 percent from three-point range prior to the All-Star break and 25.3 percent from three-point range for the rest of the season. Shumpert’s defensive rating fell from 110 to 115. Shumpert would finish the season shooting 36.0 percent from three, a percentage only higher than J.R. Smith (who had a particularly rough season on and off-the-court), Richard Jefferson and Tristan Thompson (who doesn’t shoot threes). His defensive rating would end up at 112, tying him with a notoriously poor defender in Kyrie Irving. When his rating slipped to 115, Shumpert’s defense became the worst of any rotation player.

In the 2015-2016 season, Shumpert shot 29.5 percent from three-point range but he had a defensive rating of 103. In the 2014-2015 season, Shumpert shot 33.8 percent from three and had a defensive rating of 104 after being traded to the Cavs. Even when looking at his defensive win shares (DWS) and defensive box plus/minus (DBPM), advanced metrics for analyzing a player’s effectiveness on the defensive end, Shumpert’s numbers fluctuate. He contributed to 1.1 defensive win shares to the Cavs in 2014, 1.8 in 2015 and 1.4 last season. He had a DBPM of 1.3 in 2014, 1.9 in 2015 and 0.0 last season.

No matter how you slice it, Shumpert had a down year on defense – his calling card – last season. He’s been inconsistent from the perimeter since his arrival in The Land.

Those factors, combined with his $10.3 million price tag (before tax), the arrivals of backup shooting guard Kyle Korver and rookie three-and-D prospect Cedi Osman and, yes, the need for the Cleveland Cavaliers to retool their roster to be better equipped for a rematch against the Golden State Warriors are why Shumpert finds himself in the trade block once again.

Shumpert seems like the type of guy you would love to hang out with off-the-court and like a few other Cavs, he’s a family man in a fraternity full of bachelors. However, on-the-court Shumpert is simply too inconsistent for a team that’s in win-now mode every season James plays for the Wine and Gold.

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*All stats referenced from www.basketball-reference.com