Former Knicks Proving Fit, Opportunity Is Everything with Cleveland Cavaliers

It was easy to overlook the talent of guards J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert when the pair suited up for the woeful New York Knicks this season.

After all, the Knicks began the 2014-15 campaign just 5-31, battling the tanking Philadelphia 76ers for the league's worst record. Smith, a former Sixth Man of the Year, and Shumpert, one of the NBA's best perimeter defenders, battled losses, injuries and transition into a triangle offense.

The Knicks' ship, damaged beyond repair, was quickly sinking. The Cleveland Cavaliers smelled blood in the water and quickly circled.

General manger David Griffin shipped off the ineffective Dion Waiters, netting him an incredible return of Smith, Shumpert and a first-round pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder. New York essentially gave Cleveland its two best guards, opting for the extra cap space this summer instead.

With the Cavs, Smith and Shumpert can now relax and return to their strengths. They don't need to be the star players the Knicks required on most nights. Cleveland has its stars, as most recently evidenced by Kyrie Irving's 57-point explosion in an 128-125 overtime win against the San Antonio Spurs on March 12.

For Smith and Shumpert, the return to a winning situation and their incredible fit with the Cavaliers has been all they need to shine once again.

Smith Back to Playing His Game

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Smith, 29, is somehow, unbelievably, in his 11th pro season. His past is checkered, but his skills certainly aren't.

In New York, Smith's biggest issues often fell outside of the arena, with the city's nightlife potentially robbing him of his best ball. Now in Cleveland and entrenched in a veteran locker room, Smith's focus has been entirely on basketball.

Here's how his numbers stack up between the two franchises this season.

Smith	PTS	FG%	3P%	FT%	USG%	STL	PER
Knicks (24 games)	10.9	40.2	35.6	69.2	23.3	0.8	11.7
Cavs (31 games)	12.6	41.5	36.9	82.6	17.8	1.7	14.5

Smith's scoring is up, as are his shooting percentages across the board, leading to a higher player efficiency rating.

Coming to Cleveland meant a more defined role for Smith. He's used primarily as an outside threat between LeBron James and Irving, firing up open looks at will. The Cavaliers don't need him to work the clock and play with the ball in his hands, something that Waiters tended to do. Instead, moving without the ball, spotting up and spacing the floor are Smith's main areas of duty.

He noted to Peter Botte of the New York Daily News in February that the Knicks were no longer a good match for him:

"

Honestly, I got my minutes. It just wasn’t the right situation. I don’t think I didn’t get an opportunity. I got a great opportunity, it just wasn’t the right fit. It was tough for me from a mental standpoint, second-guessing yourself and second-guessing your talent. (Cleveland’s system is) much easier to play, the style of basketball we play, it suits my game. . . . We have a team that has a possible shot to win a championship. That’s one of the best situations you can ask for.

"

One key part of his game in Cleveland has been catch-and-shoot three-pointers. Playing next to James, Irving and Kevin Love creates a good amount of these attempts, to which Smith has responded nicely. He's making 38.8 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes with the Cavaliers, per NBA.com. Before he was traded, Waiters was cashing in just 25.4 percent.

Defensively, his 1.7 steals lead the Cavs. Smith, 6'6" and 220 pounds, has the right size and athleticism to guard either wing position, and Cleveland allows 4.0 fewer points per 100 possessions with him on the court.

Not a bad word can be said about Smith and his new fit with the Cavaliers.

"I am enjoying myself more here than anywhere I've been," Smith told Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. "I want to be here; hopefully we can have the same team next year if everything goes well."

Head coach David Blatt has offered nothing but praise toward Smith, who's clashed with coaches in the past.

Blatt told Bleacher Report in early February:

"

J.R. has been absolutely, positively terrific, and I am not exaggerating. He came in here wanting to be a part of this team. He's been a great fit professionally. He's been great in the locker room. He's been great on the court. He's a joy to coach, pure and simple.

"

We know Smith has been a great fit as an outside shooter, and with a starting job and 32 minutes of court time a night, he's getting plenty of opportunity as well.

Shumpert Setting Tone for Cavs D

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

On the surface, nothing about Shumpert's stat line seems all that impressive.

The 6'5", 212-pound guard/forward is giving the Cavs 6.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals in 23 minutes off the bench every night.

In fact, his scoring, rebounding and passing numbers have all dropped off since the trade from New York. So how exactly is the man known as Shump fitting in?

It all starts on defense.

Able to guard three different positions, Shumpert has quickly become Cleveland's best wing defender, even topping the play of James. While individual defense can sometimes be difficult to quantify, advanced stats tell us that Shumpert has been much better following his trade from the Big Apple.

Shumpert	ORtg	DRtg	NetRtg	STL%	BLK%	DBPM
Knicks (24 games)	100.2	108.2	-8.1	2.5	0.4	-1.1
Cavs (23 games)	107.8	97.8	10.0	2.9	1.0	1.2

Shumpert's scoring may have fallen off a bit, but no one seems to mind. James told Cavs.com, via Bob Finnan of The News-Herald:

"

I don’t care about his scoring. I don’t care if he scores (another) basket the rest of the season. All I care is how he defends, his aggressiveness and being able to defend multiple positions. He’s doing a great job of making shots when they come to him. But defensively is where he makes his mark. I know that from going against him in New York. We’re happy to have him.

"

When he was with the Knicks, Shumpert was a starter who was asked to contribute heavily on both ends of the floor. As a result, his defense slipped a bit, partly due to the added offensive pressure. Now he can focus on just one aspect of the game, which happens to be the one Cleveland needed the most.

Coming into the season, defense was the biggest concern for the Cavs. They had no one to protect the paint and only James as an above-average wing defender.

While Timofey Mozgov has given the Cavaliers their inside presence, it's Shumpert who's taking pressure off of James on the wing. He can match up with the opponent's best offensive player, a task that James would have previously had to take on.

Shumpert knows the Cavs don't need him to score, telling Matthew Florjancic of WKYC Cleveland:

"

I think I have to stretch the floor and, of course, getting out in transition. You're in the NBA. You've got to be able to finish in transition. They don't tell me before the game, 'You've got to have 30 tonight,' but definitely, when I have spots, they want me to be aggressive, and they want me to help the team that way.

"

With or without Shumpert on the court, Cleveland averages about 111 points per 100 possessions. He's a good, but not great, shooter from the three (34.2 percent with Cavs, 34.3 for career) and can usually pick up some easy points off of turnovers.

Glenn James/Getty Images

Cleveland allows just 99.6 points per 100 possessions with Shump in the game, the lowest total of anyone on the team. When he needs a break, the Cavs defense spikes to 107.7 points. That 8.1-point difference is also the most significant of any Cavalier.

What makes Shumpert so elite is his athleticism, drive and desire to shut opponents down.

“I play offense on defense," Shumpert told Finnan.

Even though he was solid in New York, Shump's defense has reached a new level in Cleveland.

With the Knicks, opponents were shooting 45.0 percent when Shumpert was the primary defender, per NBA.com. When firing from beyond the arc, their percentage was 40.2 percent. Both figures represent a nice increase over the opponents' season average.

Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images

Now with the Cavaliers, those success rates are plummeting. Shumpert is holding guys to 36.4 percent from the field and 26.1 percent from three. That's a drop of 7.4 and 8.9 percent off of their average, respectively.

With no offensive pressure bestowed upon him, Shumpert can focus all of his effort on the defensive side of the ball, his main area of expertise.

Cleveland has done an excellent job taking two talented yet overlooked players out of a bad situation, putting them in an environment built to succeed instead.

Smith is a shooter, and he is doing his best to space the floor and still be aggressive on defense. Shumpert has quickly become the Cavs' best defender, and he can contribute as needed on offense as well.

Both fit the Cavaliers perfectly, and they are receiving every opportunity necessary to succeed.

Greg Swartz has covered the Cleveland Cavaliers for Bleacher Report since 2010.

All stats provided by Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted. All quotes obtained firsthand unless sourced.