Utah Jazz forward Jae Crowder has never been shy to take three-pointers. As of late, Crowder has been taking and making plenty of threes.
After missing one game due to a thumb injury, Jae Crowder was back in action for the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night. The Jazz suffered a tough loss to the Toronto Raptors, but Jae Crowder added five more three-pointers to his totals and scored 30 points.
Before I get into his shooting, I’d like to add this: Jae Crowder deserves consideration for the Sixth Man of the Year. He almost certainly won’t get it, but if the award was based off value instead of big-time numbers for a player coming off the bench, he’d be a candidate to win it. He is so valuable to this Utah Jazz squad.
Crowder finished 2018 off with a bang, shooting 39 percent on triples during the month of December. He made 2.2 treys per game on 5.5 attempts per game. He made 3+ three-pointers five different times. And, of course, he opened up 2019 by sinking five more threes, including this heat check bomb.
Jae Crowder is HOT! He has 30 (5 3PM) and the Jazz are within 4! 😳#TeamIsEverything pic.twitter.com/x3jDSBDWBu
— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 2, 2019
If you’d like more evidence about Crowder’s rampage from deep, I’ve got you covered. Over his last 10 games played, Crowder has made 27 three-pointers (2.7 per game). Over Kevin Durant‘s last 10 games played, he’s made 23 threes. Remember, Crowder comes off the bench and averages under 30 minutes per game.
Consistently knocking down the three-point shot has been a problem for Crowder this season. It’s encouraging that he put together a full month of solid shooting, and opened the new year with prolific shooting. When Crowder’s got it going, the Jazz are a much better team. Hopefully this is a trend that he can keep up and not simply a flash in the pan. Crowder will aim to continue his hot hand when the Jazz take the court against his former Cleveland team on Friday night.