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Why Jae Crowder should replace J.R. Smith in the starting lineup

By Quenton S. Albertie

CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 17: Jae Crowder #99 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates a three point basket against the Boston Celtics on October 17, 2017 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 17: Jae Crowder #99 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates a three point basket against the Boston Celtics on October 17, 2017 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Cleveland Cavaliers should start Jae Crowder in place of J.R. Smith.

It’s time for the Cleveland Cavaliers (3-3) to place Jae Crowder in the starting lineup to replace J.R. Smith.

The Cavs have been tinkering with their starting lineup amidst injury, spacing, chemistry and concerns with that lineup’s ability to dominate on both sides of the floor. The current starting lineup of Smith, Derrick Rose, LeBron James, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson bears a lot of resemblance to the starting lineup the Cavs have had for the last two seasons, just with Rose in the place of Kyrie Irving.

However, while Smith has been one of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ most important trade acquisitions since being traded to the team in January 2015, he’s been a hinderance to the Cavs’ success on the offensive end. After six games, Smith is shooting 25.0 percent from the field and 14.3 percent from three-point range, while only scoring 4.7 points per game. Although he’s averaging 4.7 three-point attempts per game, he’s been far more concerned with trying to make plays off-the-dribble than knocking down his three-point attempt.

With all that dancing on the perimeter, you would have thought it was Irving handling the rock.

On the other hand (and here’s a clip that shows the impact Smith can have on the defensive end as he jumps the passing lane), Crowder is willing and ready to step into three-point attempts with no hesitation.

Thus far in the 2017-2018 season, Crowder is making 34.8 percent of his three-point attempts (3.8 per game).

From the corners, Crowder is having his most success, making 80.0 percent of his corner threes while Smith has only converted 14.3 percent of his. With the corner three becoming a staple of NBA offenses, the Cleveland Cavaliers need a player outside of James and Love (their primary scorers) who can consistently hit shots from that area in the starting lineup.

However, the problem is that Smith should be able to hit these shots and has been unable to thus far. That’s what makes it hard to call for Smith to return to the bench, if three-point shooting was all that was concerning.

An added benefit of having Crowder is the way he moves without the ball to get easy points. Here, he’s spotted-up behind-the-line as he waits for Jeff Green to swing the ball but when he sees his man cheat off of him to go for the steal, he wisely cuts to the basket for the easy layup.

It’s the same two points Smith tries to get but it doesn’t take as much energy or time off the clock since Crowder’s not trying to make a play off-the-dribble. In addition, there’s a greater chance of converting the shot since there’s just one man to beat (and an empty lane if the opposing big isn’t guarding a stretch big).

Crowder will be able to play off of players like James and Love, two players who thrive as passers from the elbows, better than Smith could. For no other reason than his off-ball movement and his propensity to find gaps in the defense to cut through. I don’t want to say never but for as long as I remember, Smith has not been known as a player who makes easy plays for himself through the use of timely cuts but a player who gets his points through spot-up attempts or making his shots off-the-dribble.

For our analytics-heavy readers, it’s not just the eye test that shows Crowder having greater success converting inside than Smith. Crowder is shooting 75.0 percent around the rim while Smith has yet to convert a single field goal from within three feet of the basket.

There’s one added benefit to starting Crowder in that his defensive versatility, activity and intelligence make him similar to James in that he can cover up a lot of mistakes the team makes and holes they have on that end. Smith is nearly as good an on-ball defender as you could ask for but isn’t nearly as versatile a defender as Crowder.

Smith’s team defense, in terms of his ability to make the right defensive reads and be proactive in rotating to (or closing out on) a shooter, is not as crisp as Crowder’s is on a consistent basis.

Must Read: What to make of Cavs new starting lineup

Simply put, Crowder is always trying to make the right basketball play. That’s the type of player that helps a team run smoothly on both sides of the floor. With Rose, James and Love obvious locks as starters for the foreseeable future, the Cavs could only replace Smith or Thompson with Crowder’s three-and-D ability (a skillset they sorely need).

Unfortunately, Love is unable to play the center position and have enough energy to be a primary scorer. As a result, Thompson has to start as well (the interior defense he adds should be a plus anyways).

Smith would seem to be the odd man out of the starting lineup this season barring the Cavs doing the unthinkable and bringing Love off of the bench.

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*Unless otherwise referenced, all stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com