Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert played for only two minutes during the first quarter of the preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks. He suffered an ankle Injury early in the quarter and was out for the rest of the game. The injury came from landing on his ankle after a missed dunk attempt. The Cavaliers ended up losing to the Hawks, 109-93. Coach Tyronn Lue was optimistic about the severity of the injury, saying that "We won't know until tomorrow morning, but I think that he should be ok."
Shumpert's injury history
Reports say that Shumpert has a sprained left foot.
He will miss 7-10 days and most likely the rest of the preseason. MRI reports show that it is only a sprain and nothing has been structurally damaged. His movement will be limited for the next 7-10 days, but it is possible he will return before the season opener on October 17.
Since his NBA debut in 2011, Iman Shumpert has dealt with numerous injuries. Each one has sidelined him for extended periods of times. However, recently, he has been able to stay relatively healthy. In fact, last season, he played a career-high 76 games. The only notable injury last year is when he missed three games due to a sprained ankle.
As he grows more consistent, he is able to fill his role on the Cavaliers as a wing.
He's a spot-up shooter that is also athletic. Coming off the bench, he's averaged 7.5 points per game and a 41.1 field percentage.
What Shumpert's injury means for the Cavaliers
Luckily, Shumpert's injury is in the preseason. In addition, reports show that he should be ready by the beginning of the regular season. Shumpert's role on the Cavaliers is a scorer, but his role can be replaced.
The Cavaliers have many people who can play shooting guard like J.R. Smith and Kyle Korver.
Also, the Cavaliers were able to gain players such as Isiah Thomas, Derrick Rose, Dwayne Wade, Jeff Green, and Jae Crowder in the offseason. The Cavaliers have a backcourt with great depth, and that leaves questions for Iman Shumpert's role on the team.
With Shumpert out, the Cavaliers will have no problem filling his role.
Shumpert said he met with the head coach, Tyronn Lue, to discuss his future with the team. He wanted a meeting to air out concerns after being a part of trade talk throughout the offseason. In the meeting, they discussed his future role and how Shumpert personally feels about his direction as a player is heading. Afterwards, Shumpert said the meeting made him feel "a lot better" about his position on the team.
