J.R. Smith broke bone in his thumb which healed before he realized it
Through the Cavaliers' first 12 games of the season, J.R. Smith is shooting just over 34 percent from three-point distance, which would be his worst from beyond the arc since his rookie season in 2005 if it continues.
As it turns out, there may be a good reason for that, reports Jason lloyd of Ohio.com:
The important thing is that doctors discovered what went down, although it's unclear what treatment they may be able to provide at this late stage.
The part about this most relevant to Cavs fans is that Smith has turned it around recently, and has hit on seven of his 14 attempts from three-point distance over his last two contests -- so maybe he's finally getting over this relatively bizarre injury.
The Cavaliers guard has battled nagging injuries since the preseason and apparently one of which he wasn’t even aware. An X-ray over the weekend revealed a broken bone in his right thumb he never knew he had. Smith doesn’t know how or when it happened, but team doctors told him it occurred long enough ago that it healed on its own. But the hand is still prone to swelling whenever he gets hit on it, which happened Friday at Madison Square Garden.
“Every time I get banged on it, it swells up,” he said.
Smith is shooting just 30 percent from 3-point range, but is making up ground after a 1-of-7 start to the season. He missed three games with a right knee and quadriceps injury, which followed a hamstring injury during the preseason. He’ll never use injury as an excuse for poor play, but concedes his body is finally beginning to cooperate.
