LeBron James has urged his Cavaliers teammates to step up in the absence of the injured J.R. Smith.
Smith needs surgery on his broken right thumb sustained in Tuesday's overtime win against the Bucks.
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The Cavs were victorious against the Bucks again in Smith's absence Wednesday, with James and Kyrie Irving impressing with 29 and 31 points respectively in a 113-102 win.
DeAndre Liggins filled Smith's spot, while Mike Dunleavy is another option for coach Tyronn Lue.
James acknowledged the loss of Smith — who has no timeline yet on a return, with reports suggesting he will miss 4-6 weeks — is a big one, but sees the injury as an opportunity for someone else.
"It's tough when you lose guys who mean so much to the success of our team," James told reporters. "Obviously it's going to be a while until we get J.R. back so it's next man up and guys have to fill in. Guys have to fill in and play their role and not play J.R.'s role, you can't. J.R. is a special talent so you don't try to play his role. You just try to do more of your role and try to help the team win. So hopefully we can get that."
The Cavs, who are atop the Eastern Conference, might have had two wins in as many games against Milwaukee, but James sees future playoff potential in the Bucks.
"Over the next several years, they could be really, really good," he said. "For me, I'm ready for whatever matchup.
"It doesn't matter if it's this year or if it's in several years, I'll be ready for them if I'm fortunate to be in the playoffs at that point in time. So we'll see."