Cleveland Cavaliers: Three-point shooting is key to three-game winning streak
Over the course of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ recent three-game winning streak, three-point shooting has been a huge key to their team success.
Although defense was one of the main culprits in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ rough start, their three-point shooting was a ghost of what it had been. Last season, the Cavaliers were one of the top offenses in the NBA, and they created that unstoppable attacking by being able to shoot the deep ball with consistent accuracy.
Their three-point prowess has recently come back over the past few games. In 11 of the Cavaliers first 15 games, they have hit at least ten threes. In those games, the Cavaliers have gone 6-5, including a recent three-game winning streak in which the Cavaliers hit at least ten triples in all three games. Their successful three-point shooting can be attributed to three main players that have stepped it up from deep.
LeBron James, who is averaging 1.4 threes per game, has upped his average to 2.3 over the past three games. He’s also been more efficient when shooting the deep ball, connecting on 50.0% of his shots from deep throughout the last three games. James is the fire that keeps the Cavaliers’ spark ignited, and it is key moving forward that he stay aggressive whether it be inside or out.
The other two main snipers that have stepped their game up are JR Smith and Kyle Korver.
Kyle Korver has been a different type of sniper his season. He has been shooting in volume while being his normal effective self. Korver has been rolling off screens with confidence and rising up and stroking threes just like in the video below.
Kyle Korver actually ran off two screens which has been extremely effective at freeing him up this season. In his last three games, Korver has gone 11-for-28 from deep and should continue this streak moving forward. His involvement in the offense has been huge up to this point in the season. Korver has averaged 15 points per game over the Cavaliers three-game winning streak.
Korver, who hoisted up ten threes in the Cavaliers most recent game against the Hornets, has not been known for his volume shooting but for his accuracy throughout his career. All of last season, Korver only shot ten or more threes twice, and his team won both the games in which he hit that threshold. That said, when Korver gets involved offensively, his team succeeds. Korver has been a huge addition for the Cavaliers over the past season and a half.
Unlike Kyle Korver, JR Smith is a much streaker three-point shooter, and over the last three games, he has found his stroke. Smith has struggled for the vast majority of this season. While not his ceiling, Smith has shot 8-for-22 from deep during this streak. Smith, who started the season off 4-for-22 from deep, has finally gained confidence, and he should be able to keep it rolling for the remainder of the Cavaliers’ winning streak.
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Smith and Korver’s success has been huge over the past couple games, and hopefully, those two along with LeBron James can keep up their success from behind the arc. If they succeed, the team succeeds: it is that simple.