Fans and analysts beg for consistent shooting from the Cleveland Cavaliers’ starting shooting guard JR Smith, but consistency will never be his thing.
We all want consistent among our favorite NBA players, right? Well, never expect that from JR Smith. One of the things that have plagued JR Smith’s career is his inability to consistently shoot well. The renown sharpshooter is in his fourth season with the Cleveland Cavaliers after being traded to Cleveland from New York.
While Smith’s shooting is up almost 4% from last season, his 38.4% from the field is still underwhelming and easily the worst percentage of any Cavalier starters. That said, JR Smith is held to a different standard per se. Instead of consistently shooting a high percentage, Smith is asked to either get hot and keep shooting or take just his five triples a game.
This season has proven how Smith veered away from shooting when he hasn’t started the game well. JR Smith has not made a single three in three games this season. In those games, he has not shot over five triples. On the flip side of that, when Smith hits at least two threes, Smith has shot over five threes in six of those ten games.
That’s exactly what Smith does. He plays to get hot, and if he gets hot, he can take over the entire game. However, the Cavs are a terrific 9-2 when Smith hits over 50% from downtown. So, when he contributes, the team excels. He has the ability to do more than just contribute though.
He has the ability to completely take over. Here’s a clip from Game 5 of the 2017 NBA Finals. In Game 5, Smith put up 25 points on 7-for-8 from three. This is the type of game where Smith’s value is almost irreplaceable.
However, Smith wasn’t an impactful player in all five games of that series. In the first two games, Smith went a combined 1-for-6 from the field. Then, something really got into Smith. He finished the series 17-for-27 from deep.
Smith’s microwave ability is something rare in the NBA. That said, it’s also extraordinarily difficult to watch, at times. Just this season, Smith has had back-to-back games where he went 4-for-5 then 1-for-3. Several instances like that have occurred throughout the season and Smith’s career. He’ll go off one game and then struggle through the next.
All that to say, when Smith goes 0-for-5 and struggles all around, do not go talking about how bad of a decision it was to keep him on the floor, meanwhile praising Lue for riding Smith after a fantastic game.
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He’s unique, but his skill set gives the ability to completely make or break a series. It’s the way he plays, and after four seasons, the Cleveland Cavaliers need to understand the streakiness that is JR Smith.
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