New York Knicks: Should Horrible Shooting Land J.R. Smith On The Bench?

J.R. Smith has grown cold in the playoffs once again. Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com

In the second half of the season, New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith went on a run for the ages. After years of being one of the most inconsistent shooters in the league, Smith went on a tear and it felt like every shot he attempted after the All-Star break went in. The Knicks thrived off of Smith’s excellent play, securing the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, Smith’s lights-out shooting earned him the Sixth Man of The Year award, as he beat out the stiff competition of Jarrett Jack and Jamal Crawford.

But while Smith’s miracle run brought smiles to the faces of Knicks fans, one couldn’t help but wonder how long it would last. After all, players don’t change like that over night. The odds that Smith had suddenly become an elite shooting guard on the level of Kobe Bryant or Dwyane Wade were extremely unlikely. At some point, Smith was going to come crashing back to earth. The Knicks hoped desperately that it wouldn’t come until after the playoffs, that his hot streak would be enough to carry them at least into the Eastern Conference Finals. Unfortunately, that has not been the case.

Smith is now worse than ever. The notoriously streaky shooter has had a hard time getting much of anything to fall lately. His shooting percentage has been a lowly .339 and perhaps more troubling he’s shooting just .279 from 3. The Knicks thrive on their ability to hit from behind the arc and Smith is a huge part of that. When his shots aren’t falling, the Knicks offense takes a huge hit.

The continued struggles for Smith beg a question no one thought we’d be asking: Should he benched? How many of these bricked jumpers can coach Mike Woodson take before he decides to severely reduce the amount of minutes Smith gets? He’s been such an integral part of the Knicks this year that it’s hard to picture the team without him, but Woodson may have no other choice but to go down that road.

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Of course, the problem with doing this is that you never know when Smith might get hot again. His immense upside makes it fairly easy to tolerate the downside. What we might see Woodson do is play Smith on a trial basis. If he starts hot, ride him for the majority of the game. If he comes in and misses three shots, don’t be afraid to pull him the rest of the way. Figuring out how to use Smith will be difficult for the rest of the playoffs, but Woodson shouldn’t be hesitant to bench him if he’s hurting the team.

What’s particularly troubling about Smith’s recent cold streak is that it’s not the first time he’s fallen off in the playoffs. He shot .316 in last year’s first round loss to the Miami Heat and as a member of the Denver Nuggets in 2011, he shot just .356 as they fell in the opening round to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Smith’s playoff troubles reflect negatively on him as a player, painting a picture of someone who can’t come through when it really matters. His problems this year have only served to continue that trend.

J.R. Smith is the second-best offensive player the Knicks have, but his inconsistency makes him one of the most frustrating players in the league. The ugly side of Smith’s game has reared its head in these playoffs and Woodson is now faced with the decision of whether or not he should severely limit his playing time. If Smith doesn’t turn things around very quickly, he might have no other option.