Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers Need More from Iman Shumpert... Or Else

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:01 p.m. ET

Fansided, Nathan Beighle/FanSided via King James Gospel

While J.R. Smith has been absent, the Cleveland Cavaliers haven’t had the production that they expected from Iman Shumpert and that has to change.

Iman Shumpert was acquired in a trade that sent both him and J.R. Smith to the Cleveland Cavaliers from the New York Knicks during the 2014-2015 season. While this was a great move for Shumpert, his minutes have taken a dip.

Shumpert went from a perennial starter on the Knicks to starting just nine games in a Cavs uniform. While his dip in numbers have not been too tragic, for Shumpert’s ability, he should be at least averaging double-figures for this Cavs team. Right now, Shumpert averages 7.3 points per game in 24.3 minutes.

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With this production, it might not be to shocking to see Shumpert on the trading block. He seems like a target for other teams since he still has several more years in his prime. His athleticism certainly does intrigue other GM’s, and once Smith returns, Shumpert’s playing time could already see a drastic hit.

With that said, let’s take a look at how Shumpert has done without Smith this season.

The Impact of Smith on Shumpert

J.R. Smith went down with a right thumb injury against the Milwaukee Bucks. He was forced to get surgery which will sideline him three months. Since then, Shumpert has seen a dip in production which is the opposite of what most fans would have assumed.

It is logical to think that since Smith’s injury 14 games ago, Iman Shumpert would see more playing time and therefore more production. Shumpert has started one of those games, and since the arrival of Korver, both Shump and Liggins have seen a decrease in minutes.

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Needless to say, Shumpert was struggling before that. During those fourteen games, Shumpert has seen 26.7 minutes (+2.4) and scored 7.8 points (+.5). While those numbers may seem to point in his favor, the shooting guard from Georgia Institution of Technology has seen a significant drop in his efficiency.

Shump has had his best season when it comes to efficiency. He has averaged 43% from the field and 38.3% from behind the arc. While these numbers are not the top in the league or even on the Cavaliers, they are pretty solid for Shump. Since Smith’s injury, he has averaged just 38.8% from the field and 32.6% from deep.

It is strange that Smith’s absence and Shumpert’s efficiency decline go hand-in-hand, but what do I know, maybe it is just a coincidence.

Since we know he has played poorly lately, let’s take a look at how he might easily be on the trading block.

Shump’s Tradability

If I had to trade one Cavalier, it would be Iman Shumpert, and the logic is simple really. The Cavaliers need a point guard and even LeBron James acknowledges that. And Iman Shumpert is not point guard material.

If not traded, Shumpert basically has to acquire minutes at the point guard eventually. When Smith returns, he will either inherit his starting gig back or Kyle Korver will push him to the sixth man position. Even as sixth man, Smith would hog most of the backup shooting guard minutes.

So really there are three options for the Cavaliers and Iman Shumpert. Either they part ways and the Cavaliers acquire a point guard, they let Shumpert take the majority of the backup point guard minutes, or they somehow acquire a point guard and leave Shump without minutes.

In my opinion, it might be best for the Cavaliers just to let Shump go, and I doubt it would hurt them THAT much. His production is, dare I say, replaceable.

As the All-Star game nears, it will become more and more obvious how serious the Cavaliers are about their backup point guard issue. That level of concern could be what drives Shumpert out of Cleveland after all.

Tell us. Do you think Shumpert will be in Cleveland after the trade deadline?