J.R. Smith 'Absolutely' Frustrated by Losing Starting Role to Dwyane Wade

Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith said Tuesday that he is "absolutely" frustrated about losing his starting job in favor of the newly signed Dwyane Wade.

According to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com, Smith said he is trying to move forward in his new role: "We talked about it. It wasn't the most positive conversation, but we talked about it and we'll get through it together."

On Monday, Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue announced D-Wade would be part of his starting lineup when the regular season begins Oct. 17 at home against the Boston Celtics.

Smith said he "kind of knew" he was destined for the bench when Wade signed and lamented the notion that he didn't get a fair opportunity to keep his starting role: "Was working hard all summer and then coming in and not even really having a chance to earn my spot, but it's alright. It is what it is."

The 2016-17 season was a struggle for Smith, as he missed 41 games due to injury and finished with just 8.6 points per game, which was his lowest average since 2005-06.

Smith has started regularly for the past three seasons, but he is no stranger to coming off the bench.

For most of his first decade in the league with the New Orleans Hornets, Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks, Smith was a reserve.

In 2012-13, Smith averaged 18.1 points per game for the Knicks and was named the NBA Sixth Man of Year.

Despite his disappointment, Smith admitted that he likes being part of the Cavs' second unit: "I actually like playing on the second unit better; I'm more of a playmaker and distributor and I handle the ball a little bit more instead of just running to the corner."

Cleveland's starting backcourt will initially feature Wade and Derrick Rose, but that figures to change when Isaiah Thomas returns from injury.

Until then, Smith will likely have a significant ball-handling responsibility with the second unit in addition to his long-range shooting skills.

Cleveland is undoubtedly a deeper team than it was last season, and bringing a player who averages 12.9 points per game and shoots from deep at a 37.4 percent clip for his career is a move that could make the Cavaliers even tougher to play against.