Utah Jazz: Three games in, Jae Crowder appears to be perfect fit

He’s only played three games with the Utah Jazz, but so far Jae Crowder has been an absolutely perfect fit with his new team.

The 2018 NBA trade deadline was a wild one that saw the Utah Jazz get involved by participating in a three-team trade that helped facilitate one of many deals carried out by the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the exchange, the Utah Jazz shipped out Rodney Hood to Cleveland and Joe Johnson to the Sacramento Kings to get Jae Crowder in return. Johnson, of course, would later go on to be bought out by the Kings and recently signed with the Houston Rockets.

The move was one that was largely met with mixed emotions from Jazz fans. Some were glad to see Hood go, but thought the Jazz should have got more for him. Others were happy to receive Crowder, but sad to see Hood go. Some were simply in support of the trade from the onset, viewing it as a win across the board. Dozens others found themselves somewhere in between those and many other points of view.

And while determining the eventual winner of this three-team deal may take quite some time to sort out, in the short term it has looked like a win for both the Cavs and the Jazz (not so sure about the Kings) as both of those new players have played well thus far in their new homes. But particularly in the case of Jae Crowder, while it’s only been three games, it appears that the Jazz have indeed found an ideal fit for this year and moving forward.

In just his first trio of games with the Jazz, Crowder has already scored enough to become Utah’s second leading scorer behind Donovan Mitchell at 14.7 points per game. Sure, it’s a small sample size, but there’s been plenty of indications already that he’ll be able to be much more similar to the kind of player he was last season in Boston during his time in Utah.

His field goal percentage thus far leaves something to be desired at 41.2 percent, but his three-point shooting has been solid at 37.5 percent despite having a rough 0-of-4 outing in Utah’s most recent win against the Phoenix Suns. Of course, Crowder’s time with the Jazz is so fresh that his averages will change quickly, but as they normalize, I think fans will be happy with what they see.

Furthermore, Crowder has already had a significantly positive impact when he’s been on the floor. During his last three games, he’s had the third highest net rating on the team of 14.2. If you took that rating and compared it to the season net ratings of his teammates, he’d be the leader in that category among players that have logged significant minutes by a long shot.

He’s also been in the game during clutch situations already such as when he closed out Utah’s recent win over the San Antonio Spurs. The fact that he’s already having such an impact and being so greatly trusted by his head coach and teammates while still getting accustomed to a new team and style of play is nothing short of incredible.

After helping defeat the Portland Trail Blazers in his Jazz debut, Crowder mentioned that he “love[s] playing within a system.” Some construed this as him taking a shot at Cleveland. Personally, I thought that narrative was overblown.

Rather, I think that statement simply serves to further backup my point here – Utah’s game plan fits Crowder’s skills more than Cleveland’s did and he was acknowledging that. That’s not to say one method is better or worse than the other, rather that Crowder ought to fit better with the Jazz than he did with the Cavs.

His fit has been furthered by the fact that whether he’s scoring or not, he always does the little things to make an impact on defense, rebounding or wherever he’s needed. He’s logged an average of five boards per game, which puts him behind only Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors for the most on the team.

Crowder’s ability to switch between playing the three and the four has been sensational as well. If Utah wants to go big, he can play the small forward position alongside Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors. If the Jazz want to stretch the floor, they can easily plug Crowder in as their stretch-four, a versatile position that the Jazz have desperately needed to successfully implement Coach Snyder’s game plan. As Crowder gets more comfortable and converts on more threes, he should only continue to excel in this aspect.

In his first three games with the Jazz, Crowder finds himself in seven of Utah’s top ten lineups in terms of net rating, and the lineup with which he’s logged the most minutes – Donovan Mitchell, Royce O’Neale, Joe Ingles, Jae Crowder and Rudy Gobert – boasts an astounding net rating of 42.7, the best by far that has logged more than three minutes together.

The next best one is the same, but with Favors at the center, meaning that Crowder has thrived regardless of who’s been at the five when he has played the four. Admittedly, Crowder hasn’t been as effective at the three-spot, save for a couple brief stints that have featured Jonas Jerebko at the four, but even the three-man lineup of Gobert, Favors and Crowder boasts a positive net rating of 7.7.

And beyond the stats, the chemistry with Crowder has been evident. From Day 1 when he was unable to play in the contest against the Charlotte Hornets, Jae was engaged and quick to congratulate each and every one of his teammates in the tunnel after the game. Following the win over Portland, his teammates immediately gave him praise and nearly every one embraced him as if to say, “Welcome to the team.”

He would go on to refer to the Jazz as “a great group of guys” and would later take to Twitter to let Jazz fans know (in his all-caps splendor) that “THE LOVE IS REAL”. Clearly, both in terms of on-court skill and identity, cohesion with teammates and love of the fans, Crowder has been nothing short of a sensational fit in his short time with the Jazz.

Utah Jazz fans are pretty easy to please, to be perfectly honest. If you come in and work your butt off, give your all every game and then throw some love towards the fans and the state, they’ll accept you as one of their own without batting an eye. Much like Donovan Mitchell did immediately after being acquired by the Jazz, Crowder has shown his excitement to be playing in Utah and has quickly won over the fanbase.

Sure, it’s only been three games and Crowder still has a lot to learn and a long way to go before he solidifies his spot as a mainstay on this Jazz roster. But so far, in every way imaginable, his play and attitude have been nothing short of perfect for an ideal Jazzman.

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And if I had a hunch based on what we know about the way Crowder has played in a similar system in the past and about the Utah Jazz’s track record for developing and getting the most out of their players, I’d say his best in a Jazz uniform is still very much yet to come.

Welcome to the Jazz once again, Jae Crowder. Great start so far, and we couldn’t be happier to have you as part of the team.