JR Smith, who has struggled this season, erupted as the Cleveland Cavaliers took down the Minnesota Timberwolves in a complete shootout.
As trade season continues to near its end, the Cleveland Cavaliers are bound to trade someone. However, after one of JR Smith’s best games of the season, is he now untradable?
The Cavaliers have seemingly been throwing Smith in trades as a salary booster. He is the player that has to be included to match whatever incoming salaries the Cavs would take on. Whether that be for DeAndre Jordan or Nicolas Batum, Smith’s name has come up quite often in possible deals.
If it wasn’t for a no from Los Angeles, Smith and Thompson would already be part of the LA Clippers. They said no, and here we are. Just hours before the trade deadline, Smith proved his ability to hit any shot on the court against the Minnesota Timberwolves, an ability many forgot about.
Smith ended the game 6-for-11 from deep and ended as the Cavs second leading scorer behind LeBron James and his 37 points. For Smith, that was just his fifth game this season with at least five threes.
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As for the game itself, the Cavs and Wolves combined for the most three-pointers made in a single game in NBA history. They made a combined 40 three-pointers.
Many fans and analysts that question Smith’s value forget the 2017 NBA Finals. While Smith didn’t have a great start to the series, he did manage to make 17 threes in the last three games of the series and almost singlehandedly brought the Cavaliers back to win Game 5 in Golden State.
That said, Smith, who is being treated as a player that can be easily replaced, proved that he’s more than that. He proved that while he might not always play that well he can take over games and help lead the Cavs to victory.
The Cavs have pushed JR Smith is trades for both George Hill and DeAndre Jordan. After their game against Minnesota, the Cavs organization must reconsider Smith’s value. If Hill was on the court against the Wolves and not Smith, would they have still won? It honestly might not have even been close with how Minnesota was shooting.
If Hill was on the court in Game 3 of the 2017 NBA Finals, could the Cavs have still won? Do we honestly believe Hill or Jordan is the answer to all the Cavs problems?
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The Cavs have decisions to make, and it time they start considering JR Smith as a valuable asset and not just a player easily replaced.
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