In Defense Of Iman Shumpert

We’re about three weeks into the NBA season, and things are looking good for the Cleveland Cavaliers. They sport one of the best records in the NBA and lead the Eastern Conference. They seem extremely comfortable playing together, and the only concern is an irritating ability to take their foot off the gas pedal that has been a characteristic of this team ever since LeBron James returned. For the most part the players, coaches, and even the fans seem happy.

There has been one player with whom fans expressed displeasure in the early going, and that’s backup guard Iman Shumpert. Now in the second year of the four-year $40 million contract he signed last summer, Shumpert has been the one Cavalier who is seemingly not exempt from the outright scorn of the fans—Kevin Love trade talk aside—but is he really deserving of this scorn? Let’s take a look at what Shumpert has brought to the Cavaliers this season.

He’s in shape and producing.

This is a huge understatement. After losing ten pounds in the offseason and gaining the role of backup shooting guard, Shumpert is playing by far the best basketball of his career. He’s even scoring off the dribble!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSpCv6z9Q5w

Shumpert is shooting 47% from the field and 43% from three, terrific numbers by any perimeter player. While these averages will obviously regress at some point, Shumpert’s hot start has helped make up for the outside shooting woes of Mike Dunleavy and Richard Jefferson, as well as the loss of Matthew Dellavedova.

The Cavs need his athleticism and defense.

As much as the Cavs would like a more natural point guard backing up Kyrie Irving, that simply isn’t their biggest need at that position. Given the abilities of Irving, LeBron James, and Kevin Love to create offense, the biggest thing the Cavs need is a player capable of defending opposing point guards at a high level. Shumpert does that better than anyone else on the roster. He also has the ability to guard players with elite athleticism, something Richard Jefferson and Mike Dunleavy Jr. can’t say at this point in their careers.

The Cavaliers’ offense has been elite all season.

Right now, the Cleveland Cavaliers rank sixth in the NBA in offensive rating, although they were second prior to playing the Pacers without the services of LeBron James, J.R. Smith, and Mike Dunleavy Jr. While there’s little doubt that they are better offensively when Shumpert isn’t running the point, there’s also no evidence that he is having a significant negative impact on that end. In fact, he’s been a part of some of the Cavaliers’ best offensive lineups.

Look at other backup point guard options available.

Kay Felder has some potential, but with his lack of size and experience, he’s arguably a worse defender than Irving, and has to show he can actually shoot, a needed quality for guards to get consistent playing time on this team. In all likelihood, Felder will wind up spending at least some time with the Canton Charge so that he gets the playing time he needs to develop. The current free agents are free agents for a reason. Mario Chalmers is coming off an Achilles tear, an injury that often robs an NBA player of his effectiveness permanently. Norris Cole is in China after being one of the most overrated players in the league by casual fans. That leaves the likes of Kirk Hinirch (old), Steve Blake (older), and Andre Miller (oldest) available. There aren’t many (any?) teams who have depth at point guard and are willing to help the Cavaliers. While these men are more natural point guards than Shumpert, it’s hard to see them being more effective players in terms of winning, regardless of how they are being used.

There’s no doubt that Iman Shumpert has his flaws as a player. Throughout his career, he’s been injury-prone, a below-average shooter, and seemingly had a poor understanding of what he needed to do for his team on offense. But even with those flaws, he’s also been good enough to be a rotation player on any team in the league. Now, coming into the season in the best shape of his career and with not only a bigger role in the Cavaliers’ offense, but seemingly a clearer understanding of what that role is, Shumpert has been playing the best basketball of his career. While some regression is likely, Shumpert has shown that he can be a huge part of a championship team.