BOSTON—Every team in today’s NBA wants and needs someone like Jae Crowder. He’s strong and quick enough to defend multiple positions, and ignoring him beyond the arc has become a swift sentence.
He's the epitome of an emotional leader who doesn't hesitate to call out teammates not playing up to his standard. Crowder’s fire spilled onto social media after a 21-point performance against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night (in which he nailed a season-high five threes), when he felt disrespected by Celtics fans who cheered for Gordon Hayward during player introductions.
But the outburst doesn't change his up-and-down value to the Celtics.
First, the up: Last season, Crowder knocked down 33.6 percent of his threes, a career-high mark that hung below the league average. Opponents drifted off him and cramped Boston’s spacing, particularly at small forward in traditional lineups. This season, Crowder is up to 43.0 percent on 5.3 attempts per game, shooting splits only been met by 13 other players in NBA history.
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Article written by Michael Pina