Though Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith has earned himself an eccentric and flashy reputation, the veteran has transformed into an extremely quality NBA player. Before his stint with the Cavs, Smith bounced around the NBA and was in and out of starting lineups for the majority of his career.
With Cleveland however, Smith has become a fixture at that starting 2-guard spot. Over the Cavs incredible recent stretch, Smith has served as the starting shooting guard for all three NBA Finals appearances, burying his share of big shots.
Now with Dwyane Wade reuniting with his old friend LeBron James in Cleveland, the writing is on the wall for J.R. Smith. A surefire Hall of Famer and 13-year vet, it was assumed that Wade would become the incumbent starter at the 2, and Smith would be demoted to a 6th man type of role.
No one is more aware of this than Smith himself it seems as he recently touched on that topic, expressing that he’ll do exactly what the team wants him to do. Following from ESPN’s Dave McMenamin:
“I’ll come off the bench. I’m not going to sit here and get into a blank-measuring contest with Dwyane Wade. I’m not going to win that. I’m not going to do that. I’m going to continue to work hard for our team and however they choose to do it, that’s who it’s going to be.”
It’s evident that J.R. Smith recognizes the element he brings to this championship caliber team and he will continue to provide that, whether it be as a starter or off the bench. For Cleveland to compete with the stacked Western Conference and an improved Celtics squad, everyone is going to have to embrace their specific roles and that starts with J.R.
Even with Wade penciled in as the starting shooting guard, expect Smith to still receive a heavy dosage of minutes and for him and Wade to take the court together in smaller lineups, namely in the postseason.
