Through two games of the NBA Finals, some of the Cavaliers’ role players who had key roles in defeating the Warriors last season have been essentially nonexistent. Most notably, shooting guard JR Smith has struggled his way to 3 points in 42 minutes of playing time through three games. After a sluggish Game 1 performance, Smith played just 14 minutes Sunday night and failed to score for the first time all playoffs.
Fellow guard Iman Shumpert received some of Smith’s minutes and saw an uptick in his playing time, and performed decently on both sides of the ball. He played solid defense on Kevin Durant in short spurts. According to ESPN, Shumpert’s six points, four rebounds and three steals reportedly was enough for coach Tyronn Lue to consider making a change in his starting lineup as the series heads back to Cleveland with the Warriors leading 2-0.
Even Kyle Korver outplayed Smith in Game 2, as Korver scored 8 points and made a pair of 3-pointers while seeing more time on the court. Going home could be a key for Smith finding his shooting stroke, as he shot nearly 15 percent better from deep at home compared to on the road during the regular season.
But with the new report out that Lue is reconsidering the playing time for some of his secondary players, Smith may not get much of a chance to show he can catch fire. Obviously, he’ll get some run in Game 3, but if Shumpert starts and shows he can help out guarding KD, that may be far more important to Cleveland’s success than a few 3-pointers from Smith.