Despite being just one of three players in NBA history to score at least 10,000 career points off the bench, Jamal Crawford is still a free agent. Should the Houston Rockets pursue the veteran guard?
Not too long ago, Jamal Crawford was once annually heralded by many hoops analysts as arguably the most valuable reserve in basketball. Now he’s just hoping for another opportunity. Could the Houston Rockets be a match for the veteran?
The 39-year-old — who once starred for several seasons as a member of the LA Clippers — has averaged 14.6 points and 3.6 assists per game over the course of his 19-year career.
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Along the way, Crawford became the first player to ever win three Sixth Man of the Year awards, as the revered scorer who is known for creating shots with his crafty ball handling sought to embrace a role that many of his peers would refuse early on in his career.
"“I never envisioned myself being a sixth man,” Crawford once told reporters after capturing the league’s top bench honor for the third time in 2016.“I always started my whole life. Starting is the cool thing and everybody wants to do it…I wanted to win. So at that point, I said, ‘I’ll change the course of my career and where it is going and I’ll be the sixth man.’ I saw the importance of it.”"
Jamal Crawford buries the triple to end Q1! #TimeToRise pic.twitter.com/6HMH0cuiOv
— NBA (@NBA) October 25, 2018
Yet in spite of willingly taking on the ultimate honor of sacrifice throughout his career, Crawford now finds himself back playing pickup games in his hometown of Seattle.
Yes, the journeyman guard who surpassed Michael Jordan last season as the oldest man to ever record 50 points in a game is currently a free agent.
Jamal Crawford dishes out a career-high 14 ASTS for the @Suns! #ThisIsWhyWePlay pic.twitter.com/tTQ09wwcF1
— NBA (@NBA) December 18, 2018
Crawford finds himself in unfamiliar confines this time of year.
"“It feels kind of weird,” Crawford said about his present status in a recent interview with NBA.com writer Sekou Smith on the Hang Time Podcast. “This is the first time in almost two decades that I haven’t started with a team when the season starts … but I’m just staying positive and staying patient.“I’ll be ready. I’m always in shape and ready to go. It’s just a matter of finding a situation that will want to have me and somewhere that I think fits both parties.”"
It appears to only be a matter of time before Crawford resurfaces in the game once again, according to his recent remarks. The former Michigan man could prove to be a more than ideal fit off the bench for the Houston Rockets.
https://twitter.com/Suns/status/1073455548731801602
Houston would be a place where he would instantly earn significant minutes and garner a high volume of shots as a member of Clutch City’s second unit, as recent injuries to Gerald Green (broken left foot) and Eric Gordon (right knee surgery) have been devastating blows to a roster that possesses little to any depth.
Despite averaging a near league-best 118.6 points per game through the first 11 games of the 2019-20 regular season, Houston currently ranks dead last in bench scoring with 25.1 points per game.
The Rockets are also near the bottom of the league in bench assists, ranked 28th overall with only 4.5 dimes per contest entering Friday night’s home showdown against the Indiana Pacers.
"“He was top five in scoring last year in the month of April,” former 14-year veteran center and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins said when asked why Crawford is the best free agent available on the Scal and Pals podcast. “The only other people who were in front of him were Giannis [Antetokounmpo], James Harden and Kemba Walker. He averaged 31 points per game and six assists.“People talk about his age and stuff like that, but he had the highest scoring month of his career [last year] and all those numbers were off the bench … he averaged 16 points per game and shot 47 percent on those games where he played 25 minutes or more. He still could help a team.”"
That is a sentiment that many of Crawford’s past and present comrades share. Crawford has always proven his worth, time and time again, as one can confidently assert that the NBA’s version of Benjamin Button will most certainly find a way to generate his fair share of offense.
Jamal Crawford will contribute in a positive fashion regardless of where he lands.