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Cleveland Cavaliers Trio Of Unsung Heroes

By Jamal Williams

May 22, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (right) high fives guard J.R. Smith (5) and guard Iman Shumpert (4) during the fourth quarter in game two of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. Cavaliers won 94-82. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
May 22, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (right) high fives guard J.R. Smith (5) and guard Iman Shumpert (4) during the fourth quarter in game two of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. Cavaliers won 94-82. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 29, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert (4) passes off as Houston Rockets forward Clint Capela (15) defends during the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. The Rockets won 106-100. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

Iman Shumpert

The next member of the Cavaliers’ unsung heroes is Iman Shumpert. Shumpert has been relatively quiet this season. He started the season injured with a broken wrist that sidelined him until Dec. 11 and now is battling a knee injury. Barring any setbacks Shumpert expects to be ready at the start of the postseason, which is good news for the Cavaliers.

Only problem is that even without injury, Shumpert has struggled to be the player he once was. Notably one of their best perimeter defenders, he not made the impact he did last year, averaging 3.8 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game this year (4.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals last season), according to NBA.com. Shumpert must get back to form in order to make a contribution in these playoffs.

It’s also worth noting he is coming off the bench instead of starting like he did last year.

His jumper is another factor to his game that needs to be right in order for the Cavaliers championship aspirations to come true. Shooting 29.5 percent this year compared to 34 percent last year won’t cut it against team’s like the Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors and ultimately the likes of the Golden State Warriors.

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