The Cleveland Cavaliers, despite all their recent troubles on the court, are still poised to run roughshod over the entire Eastern Conference when the postseason wars begin.
Kyle Korver’s addition isn’t the last roster move that is expected out of General Manager David Griffin‘s bag of tricks and the minutes of LeBron James are still yet to be brought down to the expected volume at this point of the season.
There’s still a lot of work to be done on the side of the defending champions, and a huge part that has been missing for quite a while already is the presence of J.R. Smith.
The mercurial shooting guard, also deemed as the team’s best defender, has been out for several weeks but the team already has an idea on when he could return to court, per Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com.
“I hear Smith should be back by April and able to play at least a few games before the playoffs open. The Cavs are pleased with his progress following thumb surgery, but don’t want to rush him. He’s important because he’s a strong, athletic presence on defense — along with having amazing 3-point range.”
Smith has yet to look like a $57 million man after a slow start to his season. His 8.6 points per game and 36.2% clip from long distance are his lowest since donning the Wine and Gold colors. But Smith has proven that he is very much capable of keeping up with the opponent’s best perimeter scorer on defense, giving the Cavs great value despite his offensive struggles.
Cleveland is in no rush when it comes to their top shooting guard’s return. But when he comes back, expect J.R. Smith to let them fly at all costs.