The Cleveland Cavaliers starting shooting guard and the face of many viral memes, JR Smith, might surprise fans this season.
While the Cleveland Cavaliers extended Kevin Love and expect a superb season from him, it might be JR Smith who has the breakout season. Smith, following some phenomenal shooting in the 2016 NBA Finals, has been awful these past two seasons.
Even for Smith’s standards, his percentages were low and his efficiency just wasn’t what fans grew accustomed to over his first two seasons in Cleveland. Many didn’t think after his 2016-2017 campaign that it could get much worse, but he proved them wrong in 2018.
Smith made arguably the biggest mistake in Cavaliers history.
While that might be overdramatizing his miscue, Smith, assuming Cavs were up one and dribbling the clock out the last few seconds of Game 1 resulting in an overtime loss ultimately, might’ve packed James’ bags en route to a Finals sweep.
While that play might’ve defined Smith’s season, his struggled started far before even the postseason.
Last season, Smith neared a career-low in points, scoring just 8.3 per game. To make matters worse, his rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks were all below his career average, a characteristic that rarely defines a player’s 14th season.
The fans who didn’t want him traded questioned why the Cavs paid him $12+ million per season. Everyone involved was mindblown how JR Smith had seemingly fallen off a cliff after being the most entertaining player following their 2016 Championship.
This season, the gifted shooter guard can earn back their trust and respect.
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Smith’s role this season will be twofold. He’ll have players like Rodney Hood, Cedi Osman, and Okaro White that he can mentor, and at the same time, Smith, 32, might struggle to even find an ample amount of minutes himself.
Smith can also transition back to more of a playmaking role.
Last season, Smith only transitioned into a playmaker the possessions that James “took off.” However, this season if Smith fails to be a top playmaking option and hit his career-average 41.9% from the field, he can forget about having a meaningful role.
At his peak, Smith averaged 18.1 points per game with only 35% of his shots coming from deep. This past season, he was at 8.3 with well over 64% coming from downtown.
That right there is the best way to explain the LeBron-effect.
While every front office aspires to have a player of James’ caliber, his presence alters players playstyles. After being a sole sharpshooter for four seasons, does Smith still have the elite playmaking and athleticism to get to the bucket like he did in New York?
Maybe it’s just a hopeful answer, but I believe he does. Smith has been working out with “USA Today’s Top NBA Workout Guru” Chris Brickley.
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He’s spent his offseason in the gym improving his game. For fans, seeing Smith positive and looking to be a better play is enough to reassure a feeling of hope that’s in Cleveland following LeBron’s departure.