Throughout the Cleveland Cavaliers’ early-season struggles, veteran guard J.R. Smith has been the embodiment of those issues with his play offensively.
Even with the move back to the starting lineup, Smith has continued to see his offensive contribution wane. According to Nikki Goel of ClutchPoints, head coach Tyronn Lue believes that the 32-year-old has to remain persistent in getting shots up.
Through the first 10 games of the season, Smith is averaging a career-low 5.3 points on 27.5 percent from the field and 23.4 percent from beyond the arc. This includes failing to crack double figures all but twice while reaching no greater than 11 points and shooting 33.3 percent or lower nine times.
Despite these shooting woes, the coaching staff and his teammates have continued to encourage Smith to stay committed offensively. He has simply been unable to take advantage of the opportunity to be a bigger offensive factor in his 14th season.
The fact that Smith has continued to struggle could just be a by-product of the Cavaliers’ overall issues on the court through the first couple of weeks of the season. With Lue still voicing much confidence in him, there will remain the opportunity to finally break out offensively.