National Basketball Association

Cleveland Cavaliers player watch: Iman Shumpert's milestones to look for in 2016-17

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Jun 22, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert celebrates with fans during the NBA championship parade in downtown Cleveland. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

With less than a month until the start of the 2016-17 NBA season, here are the milestones to look for Cleveland Cavaliers Iman Shumpert this year.

Last year was an incredible season for the Cleveland Cavaliers. They had their ups and downs, from Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert‘s injuries to chemistry issues later on in the regular season and a 3-1 deficit in the Finals.

Despite the rocky road, the Cavs came out on top. They united and prevailed, giving the franchise its first ever NBA championship and giving Cleveland its first major sports title in 52 years.

While last season was a dream for Clevelanders and Cavs fans everywhere, it ended more than three months ago. Now we’re ready for more basketball and are counting down the days until the 2016-17 NBA season begins.

Fortunately there’s less than a month until the start of the new season. But while we wait, we’re taking a look at all the milestones that various Cavs players can reach this upcoming year. Next up is Shumpert, the 26-year-old defensive savvy guard. He’s played just five seasons, but that doesn’t mean he won’t have upcoming milestones to keep an eye out for.

Jun 16, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert (4) during the second quarter in game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

300th Game

With only five years in his NBA career, Shumpert doesn’t have too many games in the books. But with 294 already in the books, he’s just six games away from hitting 300. So he’ll most definitely be able to hit that milestone, barring any season-ending injury within the first five games. Shumpert has had his fair share of injuries, which has made his career average of games played just 58.8. But if he can play that average, and we’re hoping he’ll play more this year, he’ll not only reach 300 games but he can reach 350.

Feb 8, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert (4) drives against Sacramento Kings guard Rajon Rondo (9) in the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

9,000th Minute Played

Despite not playing too many games and averaging just under 60 games per year, Shumpert has played many minutes in those games. Up to this point, he has played a total of 7,524 minutes and has a career average of 25.6 minutes per game. If he can play that number over 58 games this year, he could play over 1,500 minutes. That would put him above the 9,000th minute played milestone.

However, Shumpert averaged slightly less minutes with the Cavs last year, perhaps because of the team’s depth. If he plays his 2015-16 average of 24.4 minutes per his career average of 58 games, Shumpert would only get 8,958 minutes. So he would still be able to hit the 8,000th minute mark and beyond. Hopefully he can play slightly more minutes or slightly more games to hit that 9,000th minute.

Jan 6, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert (4) shoots the ball over Washington Wizards forward Kelly Oubre Jr. (12) in the second quarter at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

900th Field Goal

Shumpert is a two-way guard with explosive speed, which allows him to drive to the basket. But he also has a reliable jump shot and can shoot open threes. He currently has 813 total field goals and a career average of 2.8 per game. With that number over his career average 58 games, Shumpert can wind up with 977 field goals. And even with his slightly lower 2015-16 average of 2.1 field goals per game, he can reach that 900th field goal.

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Shumpert can also reach milestones specifically into two and three-pointers. He currently has 528 two-point field goals and a career average of 1.8 per game. If he can get that over 58 games, he’ll end up with 633 two-pointers. And even with his lower 2015-16 average of 1.3 two pointers per game, he can still reach that 600 mark.

As for three-pointers, Shumpert has 285 total right now. With only 15 until 300, and with the way the Cavs play, it’s almost a given that he’ll reach 300. Moreover, his career average is one three-pointer per game, meaning he’d get 343 threes by the end of the year at that rate. And even with his lower 2015-16 average of 0.8 threes per game, Shumpert will still pass the 300th three milestone.

Jun 16, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert (4) shoots the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) in game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

300th Free Throw

Shumpert is explosive when it comes to his ability to drive to the basket and with that skill comes free-throw shooting. He has 259 total free throws and averages just 0.9 free throws per game. At that rate over his career average of 58.8 games, Shumpert can knock down 52 free-throws. That would put him over the 300th free-throw milestone at 311. He averaged slightly less last year with the Cavs at 0.7, but even if he shot that per game, he would still land at almost exactly 300 free throws.

Feb 5, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert (4) grabs a rebound against the Boston Celtics during the second quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

1,200th Total Rebound

As a defensive-minded player, Shumpert does well on the boards, especially for a guard who stands 6-foot-5. He has a total of 1,057 total rebounds and a career average of 3.6 per game. If he can grab that number over his career average of 58 games, Shumpert can wind up with 1,268 rebounds, well past the 1,200th total rebound mark. Furthermore, Shumpert averaged slightly more rebounds per game last year at 3.8, which puts him even more comfortably over the 1,200th milestone.

Since he is so savvy on defense, it’s no surprise that Shumpert can reach a milestone in defensive rebounds. He has 816 as of right now and averages 2.8 per game. At that rate over 58 games, Shumpert can snag 164 rebounds, amounting to 980 total. That puts him well past the 900th defensive rebound mark. Even better, he averaged 3.2 defensive rebounds with the Cavs last year. At that rate, over 58 games, Shumpert may even be able to grab his 1,000th defensive rebound.

Mar 29, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert (4) passes off as Houston Rockets forward Clint Capela (15) defends during the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. The Rockets won 106-100. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

600th Assist

Not only can Shumpert rebound, but he can can dish out the ball. He currently has 595 assists, so he can reach 600 with just five more assists. Moreover, he averages of 2.0 assists per game over his five years in the NBA. So if he can dish it out that many times over his career average of 58 games, Shumpert can even hit the 700th assist milestone. But with a slightly lower 2015-16 average of 1.7 assists per game, Shumpert may have to “settle”, if you can call it that, for hitting the 600th assist mark.

Dec 11, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert (4) defends Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo (5) during the second half at Amway Center. The Cavaliers won 111-76. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

400th Steal

Back on the defensive end, Shumpert has a skill for stealing the ball from opponents. Over his five seasons, Shumpert has stolen the ball 371 times, which means he needs just 29 more to hit 400. He has a career average of 1.3 per game, so at that rate over his career average of 58.8, Shumpert can get 76 steals this year. That would put him very comfortably past the 400th steal milestone. Shumpert, however, averaged slightly less steals last year with the Cavs at one per game. Even with that lower number, he can still hit 400 steals if he plays that career average of 58 games.

Jun 13, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert (4) dunks the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes (40) during the fourth quarter in game five of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

2,500th Point

Last but not least, Shumpert can reach an upcoming milestone in points scored. He is athletic and can excel offensively on the floor with the Cavs. He has accumulated over 2,000 at this point in his career, with 2,170 to be exact. Over his five seasons in the NBA, Shumpert scores an average of 7.4 points per game. At that rate, over his career average of 58 games, he can score 435 points this year. That would put him at a total of 2,605 points, well past the 2,500th point milestone. But with the Cavs scoring depth, Shumpert actually averaged a little less per game last year at 5.8 points. Even with that slightly lower average, he can get over 2,500 points.

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