Jae Crowder
When looking at NBA players who provide versatility at multiple positions as both offensive and defensive players, few can compare to Jae Crowder. Built more like an NFL player than an NBA player, Crowder is a physical presence on the perimeter, with the size needed to bang down low with other forwards and even a few centers.
He’s no All-Star scorer and he’s never going to win a Defensive Player of the Year Award, but there aren’t many players who can score nearly 10 points a game, put up shooting splits of .420/.350/.780, and be one of the best defensive players on a team with Brook Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
He came over from Cleveland (why is it always Cleveland?) in 2018 to help the Jazz finish the year with 48 wins for the season. He then stayed in Utah for the next season (’18-’19), where he had 12 points, and five rebounds but was largely ineffective as a scorer. Still, thanks to his impact on the team, the Jazz won 50 games.
He was a heck of an asset off the bench, playing in 80 games, with 69 of those coming off the bench for the squad. He was gritty and tough, in an NBA era where that type of play has been minimized by more modern rule changes.