The once bleak season for LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers has turned around in a big way thanks to a few mid-season acquisitions.
They are who we thought they were – a dominant NBA team in contention for the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Except this season for LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t exactly go down the way we anticipated.
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The new big three of James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love predictably took a while to find themselves. What shocked us all is the missed games The King endured that lead to a terrible record.
On Jan. 13, after a road loss in Phoenix, the Cavs found themselves with a very disappointing 19-20 record. Since then they’ve coasted to 25 wins in their last 31 games (not including Friday night’s game against the Pacers.
The reason?
Well, of course the health of LeBron is the biggest factor, but the acquisitions of J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert from the New York Knicks were critical.
The question is: which guy has been more important to the Cavs success?
Very rarely can a quality team obtain two impact players who so drastically contrast each other the way these two do.
Smith provides instant offense. His iso game borders on elite status in the league, and now equips Cleveland with another guy other than LeBron who can get up a shot while a defender is draped all over.
Of course Kyrie Irving can too, but he’s more of a penetrator and playmaker.
Smith can make tough shot after shot — and even put a clutch one in now and again. He adds a little ball-handling and playmaking to the equation as well.
One thing he absolutely dreadful at is defense. If I had a dime for every time Walt Frazier compared his defensive play to that of the “Matador D,” I’d be Bill Gates kicking back on my own personal island.
What Smith fails miserably in, Shumpert excels.
The other 2-guard in the rotation is an elite perimeter defender. There’s no way around it.
If Cleveland is in a late game situation and the opposing team has two superstar perimeter players, LeBron will now have a running mate in Shumpert to completely shut down the other guy.
Shumpert’s on-ball defense is completely relentless. His athleticism even compares to The King himself.
Where he struggles a bit is his overall awareness on defense. Sometimes off the ball he’ll occasionally have a lapse in judgment. Discipline is also a factor for Shump as he’ll often find himself in foul trouble.
LeBron will have some work to do in forcing Shumpert to reach his full potential. At 24 years of age and another restricted free agency year on his contract though, he’ll have plenty of time to work on the kid.
Shumpert’s offensive ability is extremely limited. While his first step is lightning fast, his shot is so inconsistent that he doesn’t even know when it’s going to go in.
Smith is the current starting 2-guard while Shumpert comes off the bench. Smith is averaging just more than 31 minutes a game while Shump is a little more than 23. Smith is averaging 12.7 points a game while Shumpert is at 9.8.
Shooting percentages, rebounds, assists and all other stats are too close to even mention.
King James Gospel
Make no mistake about it, both of these guys make up a phenomenal platoon at the shooting guard position for the Cavs.
The more important guy though comes down to what the Cavs already lost due to injury.
When big man Anderson Varejao went down for the season with an Achilles, the team was missing their garbage guy who did all the little things. He played tough defense, hopped on loose balls, and jumped into photographers if need be.
In Shumpert, the Cavs have slightly replaced that sentiment. The perimeter defense has taken a major step forward.
While Smith will provide some secondary offense through the rest of the season and subsequent postseason, Shumpert will be relied upon during those huge defensive positions.
Next: Wiggins For Love Was Such A Mistake For Cavs
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