Dwyane Wade joining the Cleveland Cavaliers may have always meant that starting 2-guard JR Smith was destined to reprise his role as Sixth Man. The three-time NBA champion certainly has more status in the league than Smith, even though Wade is nowhere near his prime years.
Smith was an integral part of the Cavaliers winning the Championship in 2016. His accurate shooting and his defensive engagement were vital contributions to getting past the Golden State Warriors.
On, now former Cavaliers teammate Richard Jefferson’s “Road Trippin’” Podcast, Smith discussed his feelings toward his new bench role. On the Podcast, Smith says that the team originally pitched that Wade would be coming in to lead the second unit on the court.
The following transcription from ESPN’s Dave McMenamin:
“Honestly, I was hurt, man,” Smith said on the podcast, which posted Friday. “I was really emotionally drained at that point. I got wind of it that it was going to go down, but I didn’t know. I was told he’s going to be great for the second unit. … It would be a great fit for the team, whatever, whatever. I’m like, ‘Awesome, let’s do it. One hundred percent. Out of all people, another person we’re going to just grab for damn-near nothing? For sure. Let’s do it.'”
Apparently, Smith found out, via the team, that things wouldn’t be going as presented.
“‘Well, we got to start him,'” Smith said. “‘Wait, what? Now we’re talking about two totally different things. Wait a minute.'”
Smith noted that he is committed to playing whatever role gets the team closer to their goal. The season that he won Sixth Man of the Year, the sharpshooter averaged 18 points in 33 minutes per game for the Knicks. He also shot a respectable 35% from three on 5.5 attempts per game.
For the Cavs to get where they would like to go – the NBA Finals- they are going to need buy-in from everyone on the roster. At the moment, it’s looking like Smith is prepared to put ego aside and thrive in his role, even though it may sting a little right now.
