Cleveland Cavaliers: J.R. Smith is finally out of his shooting slump

Cleveland Cavaliers fan favorite J.R. Smith has finally broken out of his shooting slump.

You may not have known he was gone but “Swish” is officially back. Over the last 18 games, Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard J.R. Smith is shooting 40.6 percent on 5.3 three-point attempts per game and averaging 8.7 points per game while boasting a plus/minus of 5.6.

Smith, a notorious gunslinger who loves a tough three more than an open attempt, was shooting 30.6 percent on 5.2 three-point attempts per game in the 12 games that preceded the Cavs 13-game win streak (tied for a franchise record) and averaging 7.2 points per game while having a plus/minus of -6.4.

A player’s three-point percentage jumping by 10 points while his plus/minus almost does a complete 180º is extremely impressive. Yet, the interesting is that it’s hard to tell if Smith’s improvements are a byproduct of the team gelling on both ends of the court or if Smith’s improvements are a factor in the Cavs improving on both ends of the court.

Now that the team swings the ball around – which Smith has been doing all season – to find the best shots and nearly every player in the rotation (sorry Jae Crowder) has found their rhythm, the team looks more in-sync as a whole.

In the first 12 games of the season, the Cavs were shooting just 35.1 percent from long-distance and averaging 21.8 assists per game. Over the last 18 games, they’re shooting 39.7 percent from three and averaging 25.4 assists per game.

In addition, they’ve improved their offensive rating to 116.7 in the last 18 games after posting an offensive rating of 112.2 in the first 12 games.

Yet, Smith’s decision-making on dribble-drives and his shooting mechanics also has been improved as of late.

Smith has ceased trying to make getting to the rim his primary source of offense, which seemed to be his M.O. at the beginning of the season, and went back to being one of the Cavs’ catch-and-shoot outlet in the starting lineup. Furthermore, when Smith shoots the three-ball now compared to the Cavs’ first 12 games, he routinely squares his shoulders to the basket.

Before, Smith was prone to taking off-balance threes where there wasn’t much pop to the shot.

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While Smith has returned to HennyGod form behind-the-arc, he’s also averaging 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game in last 18 games, being a playmaker on both ends of the court. Smith averaged 1.8 assists and 0.8 steals in the Cavs’ first 12 games.

In addition, Smith has had an offensive rating of 109 and defensive rating of 109 during the streak over the last 18 games. He had an offensive rating of 92 and a defensive rating of 120 in the first 12 games.

With his offensive rating improving by 17 points and his defensive rating improving by 11 points, Smith’s net rating has completely flipped and it’s largely due to Smith returning to form as a three-point threat. A career 37.3 percent shooter from deep who just passed NBA legend Kobe Bryant for the 12th-most threes in NBA history and now sits at 11th on the all-time list, Smith is shooting 36.7 percent from deep now.

He’s making 39.3 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes.

As the season progresses, there are sure to be ups and downs for everyone in the league; it’s a long and arduous path to the NBA Finals.

Still, it’s nice to see Smith has gotten an early gift from Saint Nick as he’s broken out of his shooting slump. Two early gifts, if you count his wife’s pregnancy.