Cavs want unabashed shooter J.R. Smith to take more shots
J.R. Smith has made it quite clear during his 13-year NBA career that he’s not afraid to let it fly and has admitted that he finds taking open shots “kind of boring."
It was somewhat surprising, then, to see Smith attempt just four shots despite playing 28 minutes in the Cavs’ Game 1 loss.
So head coach Tyronn Lue took it upon himself to remind Smith what the Cavs need from him heading into Sunday’s Game 2.
"He's an assassin," Lue told ESPN on Saturday. "We're reminding him of that. Go out there and shoot. We need him to."
The Cavs haven’t needed Smith to be all that aggressive during this year’s playoff run. Cleveland went 12-1 on its way to its third consecutive trip to the Finals, and Smith didn’t have double-digit attempts in any of the games.
The Cavs have heavily relied on their Big 3 to carry them to the Finals but facing a Warriors team that features four All-Stars, they will need more from their sharpshooter.
