NBA Draft 2013: California’s Allen Crabbe Player Profile
By Phil Watson
With the NBA Draft scant hours away, HoopsHabit.com continues its previews with a look at some of the top prospects, including:
SG Allen Crabbe, California, 6’6”, 197 lbs
2012-13 stats: 18.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.1 spg, 45.9% FG, 34.8% 3pt, 81.3% FT
The Skinny
Allen Crabbe was the Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2012-13 for a Golden Bears team that upset UNLV in the second round of the NCAA tournament before losing a tough third-round game to Syracuse. Crabbe has good size to play the 2 at the NBA level and, while lacking elite athleticism, is quick in both the open court and coming off screens.
Strengths
Crabbe is an absolutely lethal spot-up shooter who has great range and textbook shooting form. His footwork is excellent and he gets good elevation on his jump shot and has the ability to almost always get himself squared up to the basket before releasing the shot. He has shown the ability to hit the NBA-length 3-pointer without altering his natural shooting stroke, but also displays a feathery touch on floaters and other moves in the paint. He can be a very effective on-ball defender on the wing because of his length.
Weaknesses
Doesn’t show any consistent ability to create for himself off the dribble and has been predominantly a catch-and-shoot offensive player. That lack of one-on-one ability creates some concerns for his ability to be a complete offensive player in the NBA—anything more than two dribbles appears to be something Crabbe struggles with. He must improve his ball-handling and could be more intense, as well. At times, Crabbe can appear almost nonchalant. Defensively, he has a tendency to get very upright, particularly when guarding off the ball and can be very slow in help-side rotations. Doesn’t have amazing athleticism and needs to get stronger and bigger.
Here is Crabbe’s scouting report:
Highlight Game
Feb. 10 at Arizona (W 77-69) 31 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast, 12-for-15, 4-for-7 3-pt, 3-for-4 FT
Crabbe had his biggest game in one of the Bears’ biggest moments, a stunning upset of No. 7 Arizona at the McHale Center in Tucson. Crabbe couldn’t miss, hitting 12-of-15 shots and triggering a strong start to the second half that allowed Cal to erase a five-point halftime deficit, scoring 19 points after intermission. Some highlights from Crabbe’s outburst against the Wildcats is here:
Lowlight Game
Feb. 23 at Oregon State (W 60-59) 6 pts, 9 reb, 3 ast, 2-for-12, 1-for-6 3-pt, 1-for-2 FT
That the Golden Bears were able to beat an inferior Beavers team on the road had almost nothing to do with Crabbe’s efforts. He did contribute a team-high nine rebounds, but his shooting was just not there in Corvallis as California, coming off an upset of No. 23 Oregon, had to hang on for dear life against an Oregon State team that finished just 4-14 in conference play.
Potential Landing Spots
Crabbe seems certain to go late in the first round, but could remain on the board until early in the second. Teams seem to always need shooting and Crabbe has the potential to provide that somewhere between picks 19 and 33.
Teams That Make Sense
Denver Nuggets: Denver is likely to lose free agent Andre Iguodala and could use more shooting, as evidenced by the Nuggets’ struggles from outside in the playoffs after Danilo Gallinari went down with a knee injury. Crabbe could be a good fit here.
Chicago Bulls: The Bulls have a need for a scorer who can bomb away from 3-point range and Crabbe could be that guy. Drafting Crabbe could also eliminate the need to keep exciting but inconsistent Nate Robinson.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Crabbe is more scorer than shooter, but for a team that struggled to keep up with teams on the offensive end, more scoring may not be the worst thing in the world.
Los Angeles Clippers: Doc Rivers might be able to help Crabbe develop his defensive game while also allowing the kid to provide some firepower off the bench. Crabbe has always had the look of a player who needed to be pushed—who better than a coach with a big shiny ring to do the pushing?
