Coming off his worst season as a pro, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ starting shooting guard JR Smith has entered the new season in a serious shooting slump.
JR Smith is one of the most lethal Cleveland Cavaliers’ shooters. This season, however, it has been the Kyle Korver show, and Smith’s sharpshooting ability has taken a backseat.
Starting the season on the bench was something foreign to JR Smith. Since his arrival in Cleveland, he has been the Cavs starting shooting guard. Dwyane Wade, one of the Cavaliers’ last offseason signings, stepped down as the starting shooting guard which propelled Smith into his old role. Even returning to his new role might not be enough for JR Smith to snap his slump.
In the Cavaliers second loss of the season last night against the Nets, Smith did not make a single three-point field goal. This was just his second game without a three made this season. The other was, coincidentally, in the Cavaliers only other loss, their third game of the season against the Orlando Magic.
Smith is predominately a three-point shooter. Of his 41 shots this season, 25 were from beyond the three-point line. For Smith, that is actually a low rate. Last season, just over 76% of Smith’s shot attempts were from three-point range. That said, for Smith to be effective, he essentially needs to be hitting from behind the arc. In his first two seasons with the Cavaliers, he was that guy. Can that player be resurrected this season?
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Alongside superstars Kyrie Irving and LeBron James, Smith was able to excel. He made over 40% of his three-point attempts in his first two seasons. His struggles last season could have been due to a slew of personal and professional issues. Smith dealt with injuries throughout the season and ended up playing in just 41 games.
This season, however, Smith should be level-headed and ready for a good reason. Right?
Well, the Cavaliers, during this past offseason, sent away of the most crucial players to Smith’s success, Kyrie Irving. About 22% of the passes that Smith received last season were from Irving, and Smith shot over 42% off his passes. Compare that to the just 34.6% Smith shot during the season and it is obvious that Smith thrived with Irving. Now, without Irving, the Cavaliers lack both a playmaker and another outside threat. Spacing is worse this season and those contested threes that Smith loves to take are suddenly not hitting the bottom of the net.
Smith’s made just three three-point field goals through the Cavaliers first five games. It’s not quite time to truly be worried about Smith. Two years ago, he gave us the solution to this problem. Back in 2015, JR Smith himself shed some light on how to snap out of this slump. (Quote via ESPN):
"“Worse come to worse … my motto is, ‘When in doubt, shoot the ball,'” Smith said “So when in doubt, I’m going to shoot it, and hopefully that don’t catch nobody off guard.”"
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Normally, I’d say that might be the best option for Smith, but this season has a different feel to it. Smith will be asked to help James carry the offensive burden more instead of just camping and shooting. Could that be what is throwing off his shooting stroke?
The Cavaliers must do whatever it takes to resurrect the old JR Smith.
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