Since joining the Utah Jazz shortly prior to the All-Star break, Jae Crowder has proven beyond a doubt to be an instrumental part of this team’s future.
Jae Crowder’s cup of coffee with the Cleveland Cavaliers got off to a rocky start, being forced into a role where his touches came few and far between. After being traded to the Utah Jazz, however, in a system more similar to that of Boston’s where he had previously excelled, Jae immediately became a solid contributor.
In 27 regular season games as a Jazz-man, Crowder averaged 11.8 points on 38.6 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from three-point land to go along with 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 27.6 minutes a game. But the most impressive stat for Crowder was his net rating of positive 10.3, meaning the Jazz outscored their opponents by 10.3 points per 100 possessions when Jae was on the court.
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In the postseason, however, Crowder’s already inefficient shooting worsened to 32.4 percent from the field. Jae made just 29.4 percent of shots in the restricted area and 22.2 percent in the paint (non-restricted area) in the playoffs.
Crowder was dealing with some lower back issues throughout the season, so this poor shooting percentage from in close may be the result of an injury that inhibited him from getting any lift around the basket.
Outside of his poor shooting, however, Jae was a nice fit in Utah’s system at both ends of the floor. His rather physical style of play and the intangibles he brings were evident from the outset. He played within the flow of the offense, he didn’t take many bad shots and he willingly moved the ball and made the extra pass.
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Quin Snyder’s offensive schemes take some getting used to. This may have been the biggest factor in the Jazz’s drastic change of direction at the mid-way point of the season. There were plenty of new faces in the rotation coming into the season and as they became more familiar with each other and the system, it eventually correlated to winning.
Therefore, it’s not outlandish to predict Jae regaining his Boston form with the Jazz next season. The only necessary change for that to happen would be an uptick in his shooting percentages. Jae is a 34.1 percent three-point shooter for his career. Although, in his best season as a Celtic, he made 39.8 percent from behind the arc.
That’s a sizable difference and that individual season may very well be an outlier. But the fact that he shot such a high percentage on 394 attempts is encouraging.
Best case scenario:
As Jae’s confidence grows under Quin Snyder, he is able to regain his shooting touch from his Boston years and once again cement himself as one of the better 3&D forwards in the NBA. If his recent struggles around the rim fade as well, Jae will be an enormous part of the Jazz’s success in this upcoming season.
Worst case scenario:
The worst case scenario for Jae is that his terrific shooting year in Boston was indeed just an outlier and his three-point percentage lingers in the low 30’s for the rest of his career. His lower back issues that troubled him late last season become chronic and he is unable to play with a heavy workload, straining the versatility of Quin Snyder’s lineups.
On the whole, I think Crowder’s performance will fall in between those two paths. It’s reasonable to expect that Jae will have an uptick in his three-point percentage, but it is unlikely it gets back up to the 40 percent mark. His three-point shooting is a really critical part of his game because it’s what separates him from being a stock-standard NBA rotation player, and a starting caliber player on a very good team.
This is because there’s very little variance in the rest of his game. You always know what you’re getting when Jae steps on to the floor. You’re getting a guy that turns 50-50 balls into 80-20 balls, plays physical, never backs down and makes selfless plays to help his team win.
Overall, I have faith that Jae will continue to help the Jazz on both ends of the floor while in the lineup. But if he gets his outside shot clicking again, he will quickly become an invaluable part of this Jazz team.
Statistics courtesy of NBA.com.