Cleveland Cavaliers' starting shooting guard JR Smith suffered a hyperextended left knee injury in their 116-112 win over eastern conference rival Toronto Raptors. JR Smith landed badly after driving to the basket against DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas in the first quarter.
After his injury, JR Smith hobbled up the court to get back on defense. Iman Shumpert committed a foul to stop the play as Smith was clearly in pain. When play stopped, he just dropped to the floor and grimaced in pain in front of their bench.
An MRI showed that JR Smith didn't suffer any structural damage in his knee and that he won't need surgery for his injury. Cavaliers medical staff said that he will miss at least one game but with the way he has been playing, the team will most likely be really cautious and wait until he fully heals.
Smith missed training camp as he and his party were working out a deal with the Cavaliers. He was able to make it to the team's first game of the season but is off to a slow start offensively.
It was the third time the Cavaliers faced the Raptors this season and both teams played like it was the playoffs. It would have been the perfect time for Smith to get some shots up and get himself going, had it not been for his injury.
Although he did not complain about it, Smith admitted that he has been experiencing some soreness in his knee. With the competitor that he is, he kept playing through the pain but that has caused his offensive production to take a substantial dip.
There is no doubt that Smith is a vital part of the Cavaliers. They are going to need his shooting and perimeter defense to show up come playoff time if they want to defend their crown.
If JR Smith misses time, Cavaliers coach Tyron Lue does have several options at the shooting guard position. He has veterans Mike Dunleavy and Richard Jefferson or he can insert the youngster DeAndre Liggins.
