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:

Strengths

Grit. Determination. Hard-nosed. These are common adjectives used to describe what NBA teams are looking to add to their team when it comes to 3-and-D guys. Crowder was above the league average in 3 point shooting this past season (40.4 percent from deep; 41.8 percent in Cleveland, 38.6 percent in Utah), but it’s his defense that is his calling card.

When Jae Crowder was initially traded to Utah, this is what resident sharpshooter and fan favorite Joe Ingles had to say about Crowder’s (defensive) tenacity in a interview with the Deseret News:

"“He’s done that from day one,” Ingles described. “He didn’t know any of us the day he walked in and early on in those first few games he was the first one into anything that happened and I hope we’re all here for a very long time.”"

Crowder has played with a ferocious intensity every time he’s stepped onto the court since entering the league, but it was even more ironic that he was traded to the team where a certain player who’s treated like Voldemort by Utah essentially was set to replace his spot in the starting lineup:

Crowder responded that night (21 points, 5-of-6 on 3-point attempts), but certainly carried a chip on his shoulder during his time in Utah.

He certainly endeared himself to Utah fans at points, but there were other points that left him as well-liked as Gordon Hayward is now.

Weaknesses

Jae Crowder is a good player, he’s just not a good player all the time.

During the regular season time Crowder spent with Utah, he scored in double-digits in all but six of his 27 appearances; all off the bench. That’s actually quite the impressive feat, considering he was playing with brand new teammates right in the middle of a postseason push, but when push came to shove, it felt like he was trying to skip to his favorite song while his teammates were just trying to put together the playlist.

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Crowder did have a few solid performances during Utah’s playoff run, but also had seven performances where he only scored seven points or less; including a one-point performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Luckily Utah won that game, and while it’s hard to pin a loss on just one player, when the rotations are shortened, excuses run out too.

Crowder averaged 29.4 minutes per game for Jazz head coach Quin Snyder, which, even in the playoffs, is essentially starter’s minutes. With that much responsibility, expectations are raised, and if you’re put in that position, you’d better put up or shut up. Crowder did more of the latter (without literally doing the latter), and certainly contributed to Utah’s magical run ending a little prematurely.

It’s unfair and frankly lazy to just label him a streaky shooter, because he is much more than that and has proven he can be a key contributor in both the regular season and the postseason, but Crowder will have to add more consistency to his game if he’s to maintain his spot in the rotation come next season.

Highlights

Even the best players in this league come with their warts, so it’s not surprising to find some on Jae Crowder. Crowder didn’t have a spectacular season overall, but he did have some notable performances.

The first noteworthy performance came against the Memphis Grizzlies, in what ended up being a 17-point victory for the Jazz. It was a blowout win, but Crowder was the engine behind the victory, as he was the leading scorer that evening to go with six made 3-pointers:

Another great performance came just a few weeks ago against the Houston Rockets in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals, where Crowder double-doubled in the lone victory of that series for Utah with 15 points and 10 boards on 5-of-10 shooting:

The most noteworthy performance of all came back in the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a pivotal Game 5 on the road. Crowder showcased why he is not just a one-dimensional player.

Crowder finished with a playoff and regular season high of 27 points on 9-of-19 shooting, canning six of his 14 3-pointers and adding eight rebounds for good measure:

Crowder had other hustle plays and performances, but these games in particular stood out above the rest.

Final grade

In case you didn’t pick up on it from the earlier tweet I linked from the man himself, Crowder lost his mom before the 2017-18 season started. In fact, he got the phone call from Celtics general manager Danny Ainge that he had been traded to Cleveland, told his mom, and then she died a few minutes after. How does one judge a season after that kind of trauma?

Jazz and NBA fans alike could Google his postseason performances and assume that he was a failed trade acquisition, and that the Jazz are stuck with his contract for another season, but those people would be mistaken.

As exciting as it is to watch players like Stephen Curry pull up from deep and sink contested 3s, or watch LeBron James dunk his defender into the Upside Down, every player in the NBA has a life and a family outside of basketball. Losing a mother is a traumatic event in and of itself, but to have someone tell you you have to pick up your things and move and try to get acclimated to an entirely different place in a matter of weeks is even harder. His season shouldn’t be judged alone on external circumstances, but they should be kept in mind.

Crowder only knew two teams in his first four years in the league. This past season, he suited up for two more. That meant new teammates, new environments, and learning new schemes while being expected to contribute right away. Crowder isn’t the first player in NBA history to experience this; it happens every offseason to a large portion of the league. Few have tried to play immediately after the death of their mother, however.

All things considered, I’m going to give Jae Crowder a solid B.

Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft - Doncic still No. 1 in post-lottery edition

Grade: B