He may have been with the Utah Jazz for only a season and a half, but Jae Crowder left an impression during his time with the team from 2018 to 2019. The Jazz alum is not currently in the NBA, but it sounds like he's not a big fan of what the league has turned into, as he recently said it's turned into pickup ball instead of making chess moves.
Crowder, who definitely has a style when using social media, went to X to vent about how "weird" the NBA has become, where he questioned where gameplans have gone.
SO NO ONES GOING TO ADMIT THE NBA IS IN A WEIRD PLACE? THE LEAGUE IS PICKUP BALL NOW? WHAT HAPPENED TO TRYING TO EXPLOIT TEAMS WEAKNESS AND MAKING CHESS MOVES. WHAT HAPPENED TO GAMEPLANS? WATCHING GAMES THIS SEASON NOT JUST BC IM NOT PLAYING FEELS & LOOKS WEIRD. 🤦🏾♂️
— JAE CROWDER (@CJC9BOSS) January 10, 2026
Even though Crowder was well-liked as a Jazzman, he is also well-known for betting on himself around the end of his career and losing pretty badly. He's not the player he once was, but Crowder is known for publicizing his thoughts with little to no filter.
Before he came to Utah, Crowder called out Celtics fans for cheering for Gordon Hayward before a Jazz-Celtics game back in 2016, going so far as to call them out on X shortly afterward.
HOME TEAM FANS CHEERING FOR THE OPPOSING PLAYERS NOW.. AW MAN OK... SMH BUT GOOD WIN FELLAS ONTO THE NEXT ONE.!!
— JAE CROWDER (@CJC9BOSS) January 4, 2017
He even admitted afterward that he wouldn't mind leaving Boston if that's how the fans want to handle themselves (he later deleted that). So, this is definitely in Crowder's wheelhouse.
Is he right though?
Crowder didn't really leave any examples of what he was getting at, but he's not necessarily wrong in the fact that the NBA always changes. Whether for the better or for worse is really in the eye of the beholder.
The Jazz alum came into the NBA just as its offensive evolution was about to sprout, thanks to Stephen Curry and Golden State bursting onto the scene. They reinvented the wheel by not only having an explosive offense but also putting an emphasis on positional versatility, and no, it was not universally loved when it burst onto the scene.
We've seen so many former NBA players complain about how the league has changed compared to when they played. Honestly, the conversations is apples and oranges. Some fans and players are welcome to change while others wish it was like the old days.
It is a shame that Crowder didn't elaborate on what he meant, and his thoughts are interestingly timed as it appears his NBA career is about done. However, this might be the next wave of NBA alumni complaining about what the league has become. It can be a little annoying, but this could just be the start.