Utah Jazz: 2017-18 player grades for Jae Crowder

Jae Crowder began the 2017-18 NBA season in Cleveland, but ended with the Utah Jazz. We examine if it was a tale of two halves, or an incomplete whole.

Jae Crowder was selected 34th overall in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and then traded to the Dallas Mavericks as a part of a draft night deal that brought Tyler Zeller to the Land. So it was almost ironic that he was traded for last offseason by none other than GM LeBron James Koby Altman. The Cavs have made more trades since then, including one that involved soon-to-be movie star Uncle Drew.

When the trade involving Kyrie Irving occurred last summer, it was viewed as a blockbuster. The Cavaliers were parting with former No. 1 overall selection and microwave scorer Kyrie Irving, and trading for a much smaller and older point guard coming off of (what turned out to be) major hip surgery in Isaiah Thomas.

Ante Zizic was viewed as more as a throw-in, but Jae Crowder was certainly a nice part of the package. Coming off three seasons in Boston where he averaged 12.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game on a 52.6 effective field goal percentage, there was reason for optimism. Then the regular season began.

Jae Crowder would end up making 47 starts alongside LeBron James and co., but his impact wasn’t what any Cavaliers fan or player was hoping for. His career scoring average is an even 9.0 points per game, but his 8.6 points per game average was a stark drop-off from what he had been doing in Boston. Some attributed it to the change in schemes and scenery, but others thought it was more of a matter of effort.

Unfortunately for both Crowder and Cavaliers fans, they didn’t receive much of an opportunity to see Jae turn it around, as he was a part of yet another (albeit smaller) blockbuster trade; one that saw Crowder end up with the Utah Jazz.

It certainly should warrant discussion to wonder if Cleveland would be in the Eastern Conference Finals now if they hadn’t traded Crowder and others in an effort to revamp their roster, but the Jazz don’t care about that. They got Jae Crowder for a combined 38 games, and have him under contract for next season at the very least; but for now I’ll let him transition into talking about his time with the Jazz: