INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Cleveland Cavaliers swingman Iman Shumpert will return to the lineup on Monday night, when the team travels to Philadelphia to play the upstart 76ers.
Shumpert, who has missed the last three games with right knee soreness, had been filling in as starting point guard with Derrick Rose sidelined, but head coach Tyronn Lue said Sunday that Shumpert will come off the bench.
"He fits in because we've been putting J.R. (Smith) back with the second unit," Lue said of Shumpert's role following Sunday's abbreviated practice session. "That will be Shump's position."
Veteran Jose Calderon will remain with the first unit.
Shumpert will be the 10th man in Lue's rotation, expected to bring toughness and defense to an improved group.
He's the first of four injured players to come back. Isaiah Thomas is still recovering from hip injuries suffered last season in Boston while Rose remains away from the team to ponder his future and Tristan Thompson is sidelined with a calf injury.
"From a coaching standpoint it sucks when you have guys out, but it helps the rotation, right? Because you don't have to worry about playing everybody," Dwyane Wade said. "So you can worry about playing eight guys or nine guys and those eight or nine guys know where their minutes are coming at and they get a little comfortable in the rotation, the rhythm and all these things.
"When you bring more guys that can play and they start getting in the lineup it takes guys out of their rhythm and rotation a bit. Then coach has to play different guys so it definitely changes things up a little bit. But for our team it helps us be deeper. Shump came back last time and who knew he was going to be the starting point guard for a while? We got some good wins with him in the lineup so you just have to be willing to play whatever role and position and I'm not saying you have to be happy with every role and position, but you have to play it."
Shumpert is averaging 5.2 points on 39.3 percent from the field and 28 percent from 3-point range in 12 games, making six starts.