Jae Crowder Becoming Indispensable Member Of Celtics

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Jae Crowder becoming indispensable member of Celtics
March 28, 2015, 12:45 am









When the Boston Celtics acquired Jae Crowder from Dallas as part of the Rajon Rondo trade in December, he was considered a throw-in just to make the money work.

Today, he may be the most indispensable member of the Celtics in their race towards the playoffs.

Crowder delivered yet another strong performance for Boston on Friday night in helping the Celtics hold on for a 96-92 win at New York.

With the win, Boston (32-40) remains in the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern conference.

And while there were a number of players who contributed to Friday’s much-needed victory, few delivered with the consistency and effectiveness of Crowder who came off the Celtics bench to score 17 points to go with nine rebounds.

Celtics coach Brad Stevens acknowledges that Crowder is showing himself to be more versatile than anyone expected.

And that versatility can be seen in the multiple positions he’s capable of defending, as well as in the variety of ways he has been able to score.

“Jae’s really done a nice job of both shooting the ball and driving it at appropriate times,” Stevens told reporters after Friday’s win. “He draws contact on drives and is physical. His ability to defend the 4 (power forward) and 5 (center) helps you match up with big guys.”

Boston began to separate itself from the Knicks in the second quarter. Not surprisingly, Crowder was among those Celtics on the floor putting Boston in position to get the win.

“That’s what I want to be, the head of the snake and try to feed off other guys and feed off myself and try to bring energy,” Crowder said.

And while his focus right now is on helping the Celtics win as many games as possible, he’ll be a free agent this summer who will surely have a few suitors.

Crowder has maintained that he enjoys playing for Boston and would love to sign a long-term deal this summer to stay. Not only has Crowder fully embraced Celtics Nation and vice versa, but he’s also in a situation where his strengths as a player are exactly what the Celtics need more of going forward.

“It fits what I bring,” Crowder said. “I try to bring great attitude and energy with how I play.”

Said Stevens: “He’s a good player, and a more versatile player than we all knew coming in with what he’s able to do. He’s been a real bonus for our team, no question.”



bob
MY NOTE:  We all shook our heads and wondered about Danny's sanity when he traded Rondo and Powell for Brandon Wright, Jameer Nelson, Jae Crowder and a couple of picks.  Then he really amazed us when he traded Wright and Nelson, leaving just Crowder and some picks.  Danny's crazy, all right, crazy like a fox.  Remember James Posey?  Remember what he brought to us?  Crowder plays defense like Posey (maybe even more so since he has guarded 3 positions while Posey only guarded 2), he can hit 3s (although I wish he'd not take so many) but drives to the iron more than Posey ever did.  Posey loved his offense from the outside.  Crowder takes what the defense gives him.  If there is a redeeming value in his taking 3s it is that they come out to play him and then he is a smart enough player to use that against them and drive past them.

Please DON'T amaze us again, Danny. Sign him, like we all expect you to do.


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I wonder how long Jae can keep spacing the floor so well without repeatedly proving that he's a legitimate three-point threat.  I hope he'll improve his three-point consistency so it won't become an issue.

In the meantime, he gives me something new to like all the time.  Lately, I've become interested in how he is starting to fill the leadership role I envisioned for him.  I recall that, early in his Celtics career, he called out the team to perform better, and that was the first time I felt he had leadership potential.  Now, he's becoming the "go to" interview in the locker room after games.  He's talking on the floor.  He was the one who took responsibility for tweeting his apologies after the Heat game (at least I think it was that game).  He leads by example, especially in taking the initiative in penetrating to the rim when the team's too three-happy.  And who else has enough weapons that he can get the game ball when shooting 1-5 from beyond the arc?

If I were in a discussion about the team's current MVP, I'd vote for Jae with absolutely no hesitation; and I would sympathize with my opponent.  As for his future value: barring a severe injury or major brain fart, he seems the embodiment of the direction in which the Celtics are headed.  That doesn't mean he would never be traded (although I'd be extremely sorry to see him go); and there's no assurance he'll sign as a free agent (although he's got a great situation in which to utilize his entire quiver of arrows).

I hope they sew him up long-term; and I hope to see him perform for the Celtics when they win their next championship.

Go Jae.

Sam

I really like Crowder but no one on a weak team is indispensable.

The Celtics play hard and they are usually fun to watch but I'm not falling in love with any player on a roster that's very much in flux.