I think it’s pretty widely agreed upon throughout Cleveland that the numbers 2 and 23 should be hanging from the rafters in Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. As much as it hurts that LeBron left again for the second time, he’s the greatest Cleveland Cavaliers player of all time and therefore 23, and probably 6, should be retired.
It’s also pretty obvious how much Kyrie helped take home that 2016 NBA Finals trophy. Even though he’s a shell of himself these days in Brooklyn, 2 should be hanging from the rafters as well. I think Kevin Love’s “0” should also be retired, but that’s an argument for another time. Even TT gets into the discussion.
One player that is never mentioned when we talk about the great players on that 2016 team is J.R. Smith. He was an integral part of the team throughout the regular season and the playoffs. In my opinion, his number “5” should be memorialized forever in Cleveland. Here are four reasons why.
Cavs: J.R. Smith was a fan favorite and a great teammate
I bet if you ask any Cavaliers fan they will tell you some great stories about JR Smith, and talk about how much they loved him. From his shoot-first mentality to “shirtless J.R.” at the Championship Parade, he was always a bright spot on the team, even though he went stretches during the season where he couldn’t hit water if he jumped out of a boat. On top of all of that, he was a great teammate as well.
LeBron, Kyrie, Kevin, Tristan; really everyone loved being around JR. LeBron even recruited him to come and play for the Lakers in 2020. I think one of the most lasting memories Cleveland fans will have of J.R. is him having a great time at the Parade, just walking around completely shirtless for 24 hours, or possibly more.
Cavs: J.R. Smith was the team’s best on-ball defender
Let’s also not forget that the only reason J.R. Smith was able to come to Cleveland was because of a trade involving Dion Waiters. Waiters was a locker room annoyance and he never was able to live up to his billing as a great two-way player. The Cavs sent the Syracuse guard to Oklahoma City and received J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert from the Knicks. Immediately, as he had shown throughout his career. already, Iman Shumpert was a great on-ball defender and immediately became the man who would guard opposing stars for the Cavaliers.
Then in 2016 Shumpert’s minutes dropped and Smith had to step up and be the best on-ball defender for the Cavs. During that 2016 run, Smith averaged over a steal per game, and was able to slow down the likes of guys like DeMar DeRozan and Jimmy Butler. On top of that, Shumpert was riddled with injuries in Cleveland, and Smith was the perfect guy to fill in for him.
Throughout his career in Cleveland, he became an even better perimeter defender. While his second-half start in game seven helped the Cavs bring home a title, the same can be said about his on-ball defending. He was a large part of the reason the Cavs were able to hold the Warriors to only 89 points in game seven.
However, his real defensive gem came in game six at home. Smith was tasked with defending Klay Thompson, and he was a pest all night. In this clip here you can see how well he closed out Thompson, and forced him into bad shots. J.R. held Thompson to 14 points on 6-of-17 shooting from the field, and a measly 2-of-10 from deep. While his defense wasn’t his strong suit, he adapted his game to better fit with his teammates, and it seemed to have paid off for him.
Cavs: J.R. Smith’s Game 7 start to the second half
When Cavaliers fans talk about some of the most clutch plays during that 2016 run, they often mention Kevin Love’s outstanding defense on Stephen Curry with under a minute to play. Love forced Curry into an awkward shot that missed, and was the Warriors’ last real chance to tie the game.
They also talk about LeBron and his super-human block, chasing down Andre Iguodala and swatting away his layup attempt. Finally, of couse, people will mention Kyrie Irving’s game-winner with under a minute left to play. However, one of the unsung heroes of that game was indeed J.R. Smith.
Down 49-42 by the time the second half started, the Cavs needed a spark to get them going. Well, they got it from J.R. Smith. While the Warriors were looking to stretch their lead, the Cavs’ defense stepped up, and Smith went on a tear. He hit four consecutive buckets to start the second half. When it seemed like the Cavaliers had given up, J.R. kept them in the game.
J.R. Smith was there for it all
J.R. Smith loved Cleveland. I hope everybody remembers when people said J.R. would fail in Cleveland because it wasn’t a high-profile city like New York. J.R. embraced the city and boy did the city embrace him back. Let’s also not forget that he stuck around with LeBron for his final years in Cleveland. Kyrie won a championship and wanted to leave. Kevin Love could not seem to escape the injury bug. However, good ol’ J.R. stayed around. There were times in those waning days where J.R. was the best player on the court next to LeBron James.
When all is said and done, shouldn’t every starter form that 2016 championship team have their numbers retired. They all made some incredible plays during the season. However, if there’s one player who will get his number retired other than the big three of LeBron Kyrie, and Kevin Love, it was always going to be J.R. Smith. I have a hunch that Smith won’t be buying his own drinks in Cleveland ever again.