Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyron Lue remains patient JR Smith despite his early season shooting slump. Smith is shooting a career-low 30.3 percent from the field through 13 games but still plays 30.9 minutes per game.
Right now, the main reason JR Smith is still getting his minutes is his defense in the NBA 2016-17 season. He plays the kind of defense that you don't see on the stat sheet. He plays a disciplined and physical defense against opposing perimeter players. He stays in front (except for this play) of opponents, contests shots, boxes out and rarely misses on a defensive rotation.
Even the greatest shooters in NBA history have gone through shooting slumps and Coach Tryon Lue is aware of that. And the only way to get out of a shooting slump is to keep shooting.
"As a shooter, you're not gonna make every shot. Right now he's in a little bit of a slump, but, tonight defensively he was great," Lue said. He was referring to their game against the Philadelphia 76ers were Smith went 0-11 in the NBA 2016-17 season.
JR Smith played the first eight games before missing three games due to an ankle injury. In those eight games, Smith shot just 33.7 percent (27-80). In five games since coming back from his injury, JR Smith shot even worse. He shot a dismal 9-39 (23 percent from the field including 0-11 against the Sixers and 1-11 against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Cavaliers didn't have to be overly concerned with Smiths shooting woes because of the stellar plays of Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, and Kevin Love. It also has helped a lot that Channing Frye has been shooting exceptionally well early in the season.
Right now, the Cavaliers still leads the eastern conference with their 13-3 record. They are also averaging 111.3 points per game. If Smith figures out how to break out of his shooting woes, they will cause a ton of trouble for opposing teams.
"You know, his shots are gonna fall," Lue said. "They're gonna come, and when they do, we're going to be really tough to stop," the coach added. For more news and updates on the NBA 2016-17 season, keep it here on Gamenguide!