Phoenix Suns: What will Jamal Crawford’s role look like?

The Phoenix Suns cleared out a few young players to make room to sign Jamal Crawford. What will the 18-year veteran’s role be on this young team?

After general manager Ryan McDonough was fired nine days before the new season and interim GM James Jones took over, many Phoenix Suns fans feared a rushed trade for a point guard was inbound.

McDonough was hardly undeserving of the axe and the 1-spot was certainly a glaring need, but with owner Robert Sarver taking charge of the franchise again, it was only natural to assume Phoenix was about to overpay for a stopgap point guard.

Instead, the Suns’ first move under new leadership was to make three roster cuts in order to sign 18-year veteran Jamal Crawford to a contract worth the minimum ($2.4 million). A three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner, Crawford was hardly a move many people saw coming, but it’s also one that could pay unexpected dividends for this young group.

"“I feel re-energized to be honest with you,” he said. “I just like what the organization is doing. I like the moves they’re making, I love the young players, I love the vets they brought in, so I’m excited.”"

Excluding the first two years of his career, Crawford has never dipped below 10 points per game in a season. Even at 38 years old, he’s still among the league’s best in his ability to create in isolation, averaging 10.3 points in 20.7 minutes per game last year with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

"“It is no secret, we know after all these years of him being in the league what he’s capable of doing and what his job description is,” head coach Igor Kokoskov said. “We need a wildcard, instant offense, somebody who can score for us and upgrade our talent.”"

The obvious questions reside with his defense and dwindling scoring output over the last few years. Crawford is acutely aware of his shortcomings on the defensive end, but his numbers tailing off also relates to the diminishing roles he’s received.

"“It’s funny because people are like, ‘Oh his scoring went down the last few years,'” Crawford said. “But if you look next to that, so have my shot attempts and minutes, so they all correlate. I still have a lot of gas left.”"

A look at his per 36 minutes numbers shows Crawford’s scoring over the last few years has remained consistent with his career numbers. The bigger problem is he’s only shot better than 43 percent from the field once in the last eight years.

Then again, if he can boost his 3-point percentage from the 33.1 percent mark from was last year and back into the 34-36 percent range it was at the two years prior, he could be a useful reserve in spot minutes for Kokoskov’s offense.

"“I think [the fit] will be great,” Crawford said. “I know that’s so cliché and everybody says that before the first game, but I really think it’ll fit well. Obviously, knowing his philosophies, I’ve been studying tape. I don’t have every play down — he has a lot of ‘em — but the plays that I’ve been able to get a chance to look at, I think I fit well.”"

Even in the worst-case scenario where Crawford is unable to contribute meaningful minutes, he’s a respected and experienced veteran in this league — a role he’s embraced since his fourth or fifth year in the league, when Trevor Ariza was “his rookie” with the New York Knicks.

Alongside guys like Ariza, Ryan Anderson and Tyson Chandler, the reigning Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year winner gives the Suns yet another positive locker room influence. On the court or off the court, that’s important for a team trying to take the next step forward.

It could even be worth just as much as the youth the Suns had to part with to clear out an available roster spot, which was the biggest point of criticism for the move.

With the roster standing at 17 players (plus George King on a two-way contract), the Suns needed to cut three players in order to make room for Crawford. They started with Darrell Arthur, who arrived in Phoenix via the Jared Dudley trade and was originally expected to be bought out.

Last year’s G League call-up, Shaquille Harrison, was another victim. Finally, after failing to land a trade for Davon Reed, the Suns simply waived him.

None of these losses was big in and of itself, however. Arthur had no future in Phoenix. Harrison was a defensive pit bull, but his lack of a refined offensive game meant he was best deployed to hound opposing guards for about 10-15 minutes a night.

Reed was the most notable casualty, especially after the Suns passed up on guys like Jordan Bell, Semi Ojeleye and Dillon Brooks at pick No. 32 in the 2017 NBA Draft for a guy who probably would’ve been there when Phoenix was back on the board at No. 54. (This isn’t one of those “hindsight’s 20-20” draft judgments either; the decision was baffling at the time, and looks even worse now.)

More from Phoenix Suns

• 3 NBA superstars with legacies on the line heading into 2023–24
• Ranking the 4 riskiest boom-or-bust NBA teams in 2023–24
• 5 NBA players facing do-or-die 2023–2024 seasons
• Report: Phoenix is considering signing two former lottery picks
• Phoenix’s questionable Deandre Ayton strategy is worth the risk

Reed is only 23 years old, looked good in NBA Summer League and theoretically provided the 3-and-D skill-set the Suns crave. Injury rendered his rookie season virtually meaningless, so one could make the argument they gave up on a young player too soon after never really giving him a fair shake in the first place.

However, even though Suns fans are used to watching young prospects leave Phoenix and thrive elsewhere, signing Crawford and waiving Reed — who will join the Indiana Pacers on a two-way contract — isn’t some catastrophic decision. The roster is already crammed with wings who would’ve limited Reed’s minutes anyway.

Crawford, on the other hand, fills tangible needs and could be a good fit for the Suns’ motion-heavy offense if the ball doesn’t stick in his hands. Having an extra bucket-getter whenever Devin Booker or Deandre Ayton is off the floor could be nice when sets break down. He could be a failsafe for an offense that made Trevor Ariza, T.J. Warren and Josh Jackson look like All-Stars in game one.

It’s unlikely Isaiah Canaan will play 34 minutes a night as he did in the season opener, so although finding minutes for Mikal Bridges should be a priority, there are still some minutes to go around in the backcourt.

Anyone concerned about Phoenix trying to cram a shooting guard into the starting point guard job can rest easy too. Kokoskov said Crawford will come off the bench once he’s ready to play, and though he’ll handle the ball and playmake for Phoenix, he won’t be guarding 1s.

As the Suns showed in their brilliant season opener, everyone is a playmaker in this offense. There’s reason to hope he’ll properly integrate into a very sophisticated offense, and if he doesn’t, Kokoskov isn’t the type to feed people minutes just to avoid hurting feelings.

"“Coach just wants me to be who I’ve been my whole career,” Crawford said. “For me, whatever role he sees fit. Obviously, I’ll try to help other players grow, but I feel like I can still help as well. However he sees the fit, using me, I’m on board.”"

So when can Suns fans expect him to be active? Kokoskov said Crawford will be spending the couple of days before Phoenix’s Saturday road game against the Denver Nuggets familiarizing himself with the team’s plays and terminology.

According to Arizona Sports‘ Kellan Olson, Crawford will dress for that game — no surprise for a guy who’s only missed five games over the last three years and hadn’t missed a season opener since his second year in the league when he entered the 2001-02 campaign dealing with an ACL injury.

"“Any baller wants to play, that’s for sure, any hooper,” Crawford said. “I’d love to be out there, I want to be out there with the guys, but I understand that coach has a vision as far as learning plays and getting practice in and I totally get it. It’s a marathon.”"

Jamal Crawford is not the signing Phoenix Suns fans were expecting and he doesn’t fill the glaring need at point guard, but even if his contributions on the court are limited, at the very least he’ll be able to provide valuable knowledge and camaraderie in the locker room for this young and impressionable group.