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When J.R. Smith was acquired by the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team added a player who could create his own shot and space the floor with adequate 3-point shooting. However, in the 2015 NBA Finals, Smith has struggled mightily, unable to hit perimeter shots on a consistent basis. These shooting woes fit into a much bigger trend for Smith, as he has shot considerably worse in the postseason than in the regular season for a large part of his career.
In his regular season career, Smith has shot 37.2 percent from behind the arc and 42.4 percent from the field. On the other hand, in his postseason games, these numbers have fallen to 32.3 and 39.3 percent respectively. This substantial difference in his shooting numbers has been clear in the 2015 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. So far in the series, Smith’s 3-point shooting sits at 25.0 percent, while notching an overall mark of just 29.8 percent.
Throughout his career, Smith’s production reveals that he has fallen short several times in the postseason. Smith, who has made the playoffs eight different years, has posted a field goal percentage in the playoffs that is at least four points or lower than his regular season mark five different times. Furthermore, he has only notched a higher 3-point percentage in the postseason than in the regular season twice in those eight seasons.
This inefficiency has been quite noticeable in watching Cleveland’s offense as a whole in the NBA Finals. With Smith on the court in the series so far, the Cavaliers have posted a dismal offensive rating of 81.5. However, with Smith on the bench, this number has ballooned to 113.5. Smith’s net rating has been just as telling, as the Cavaliers have been 39.6 points per 100 possessions in the series when Smith is on the bench compared to when he is on the floor.
If Smith is not shooting well, he is almost unplayable due to his abundance of head-scratching plays. As seen in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, if Smith is not making shots, he can alter the course of the game in favor of the opponent quite easily. In that contest, Smith had several brainless fouls, while also managing to turn the ball over six different times.
There are several hypotheses that can be made about why Smith has had a lackluster playoff career. For one, he is most likely facing tougher and more urgent defenses, and his lackluster shot selection may be even less effective because of this. On the other hand, the stage just might be too bright for Smith. No matter what the reason is, it is clear that Smith’s extreme variance between his regular season shooting and postseason shooting is a troubling trend for the depleted Cavaliers.
With the series tied at 2-2, head coach David Blatt cannot wait much longer for Smith to join the series. Consequently, he may need to look to James Jones, who has connected on four of his eight 3-pointers field in the series. At some point, Smith or one of his counterparts off of the bench will need to make a positive impact for the Cavaliers to win the series.
Nicholas Sciria is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Nick_Sciria, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
