Cleveland Cavaliers: 2017-18 NBA season preview
Storyline 2: J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson coming off the bench
If there was ever a way to get J.R. Smith to play better in the 2017-18 season, it’s bringing him off the bench. It’s not a terrible idea either, especially once I.T. gets healthy and Rose moves to a bench role as well. Smith is frustrated with the move, but there’s nothing like a little frustration to motivate your competitive players.
Rose will draw plenty of attention from opposing teams with his ability to get to the rim, opening the door of opportunity for Smith to get open and knock down wide open shots.
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Smith got off to a rough start in 2016-17 and never seemed to fully recover. He averaged 8.6 points, 2.8 rebounds,1.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game during the regular season. His points per game was the lowest total since his second season in the NBA back in 2005-06.
Role playing is the name of the game in 2017-18 and Smith has a bigger role to play as the Cavaliers’ biggest 3-point threat next to forward Kyle Korver, only Smith brings a bigger edge on defense.
Tristan Thompson is another player expected to come off the bench. He’s got a lot of defensive energy and rebounding he can bring to the table, that when used correctly, allows Cleveland to be a solid defensive team.
Their demotion to the bench certainly doesn’t mean a reduction in usage but instead to the versatility they will have this season that wasn’t present in 2016-17. They’ve almost gone from an eight-man team to a 12-man team overnight. Now, they just need to find the formula for success.