NBA: Ranking all 30 starting small forwards for 2018-19

27. J.R. Smith, Cleveland Cavaliers

Entering their second post-LeBron James era, there are no clear-cut answers for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Will J.R. Smith start at the 2, start at the 3 or come off the bench? Will Kyle Korver get the starting nod? Will it not matter when one or both of them are traded? Will Rodney Hood finally be re-signed, and where does he fit in that equation?

Seeing as how we already slotted Rodney Hood in as the starting 2-guard in our shooting guard rankings, we’ll stick with the Pipe here at the 3, since expecting starter’s minutes out of a 37-year-old Korver, who also doubles as the team’s most obvious trade asset, doesn’t make much sense.

In any case, Smith is coming off back-to-back disappointing seasons where he averaged single digits in the scoring column. That could change with more touches to go around, and Smith has remained a respectable 3-point shooter, but as he continues to decline and ride the trade block, it’s hard to put him much higher than this.