Utah Jazz Forward C.J. Miles Looking to Bounce Back vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Coming in to tonight's home contest against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Utah Jazz will look to continue a streak of solid play that has led to four straight wins, two of which have come against teams that made the playoffs last season.  

For G/F C.J. Miles, its another chance to find some consistency at the offensive end.

In eight games with the Jazz this season, Miles has hit on only 30.5 percent of his shot attempts and 63.2 percent from the line. Both numbers are well below last year's marks and are approaching career lows. His inability to find the range in the Jazz offense has resulted in a marked reduction in playing time, culminating with only four minutes on the court in Utah's last game at Golden State.

A further look into the numbers for Miles exhibits particular areas that have been especially problematic for the 6'6" swingman. On shots from three to nine feet away from the basket, his field goal percentage has sunk to 14.3 percent. He has also struggled from 10-15 feet (where he has yet to make a shot) and 16-23 feet (only 19 percent). So while Miles has seen some success with shots at the rim and from the three-point line, statistical analysis shows that his mid-range game has been virtually non-existent.

Despite his shooting woes, Miles appears to have remained confident. His possession usage (25.51 percent) is well above league average and is the highest rate of his career. He also appears to be taking his erratic playing time in stride.

When asked what his thoughts were after appearing in only three first-half minutes against the New Orleans Hornets, Miles told the Salt Lake Tribune, "Stay in the game. When they call your name, you go do what you do. You go play basketball and you make plays."

Against the Warriors, the similarly struggling Gordon Hayward and Raja Bell had their best offensive performances of the season.

Tonight, at EnergySolutions Arena, C.J. Miles undoubtedly looks to follow suit.