Pressure Will Be On Jae Crowder

When the Boston Celtics acquired Jae Crowder from the Dallas Mavericks their main interest was acquiring draft picks and the small forward was more of a trade throw in. After fitting in immediately, Crowder established a solid role for himself on the team and went into the playoffs as one of the stronger players. After Crowder’s phenomenal performance in the playoffs the Celtics wanted to keep him for the long term and he has become one of the most important players on the roster.

Crowder is the only natural small forward on the team and he is the only player that can be fully trusted to matchup against an opposing team’s best player. He struggled form beyond the arc but remains a threat from three point range and is a reliable finisher at the rim.

Jan 30, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jae Crowder (99) shoots the ball against Houston Rockets forward Joey Dorsey (right) during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

In a very short period of time, Crowder may have already established himself as the most complete player on the roster and all of a sudden the pressure may be mounting with elevated expectations. The Celtics need Crowder to be a leader on the defensive end and they need him to improve on the offensive end.

The Celtics have spoken publicly about how he is in the long term plans and the team cannot afford to have him disappoint. If any of the Celtics’ many guards or power forwards are a bust they have the necessary depth the make up for it. If Crowder is a bust, the starting unit may fall apart.

If Crowder does not maintain his defensive form and improve his offensive efficiency then the Celtics will be left with a huge gap in the starting unit. They have some flexibility with Evan Turner and Perry Jones who both have experience at the small forward position. However, neither of those players are close to what the Celtics need and expect Crowder to be.

The pressure is on Crowder because they will depend on him to elevate their defense. The Celtics struggled defending last year but Crowder was one of the lone bright spots. The Celtics cannot afford to regress in any way on the defensive end and if Crowder takes a step back they have no other option to replace that impact.

Apr 14, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jae Crowder (99) and Toronto Raptors guard Greivis Vasquez (21) work for the ball in the second half at TD Garden. The Celtics defeated the Toronto Raptors 95-93. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

There is even more pressure on Crowder because they need him to improve on the offensive end too. The Celtics will not fall apart if Crowder struggles on offense but they cannot afford to have their top on ball defender be a liability on the offensive end.

Crowder had the lowest field goal percentage since his rookie season at 41 .8% with Boston and he hit a new low shooting the three ball at 28.2%. Brad Stevens’ system does too good of a job at creating open shots to have Crowder shooting such a low percentage.

Crowder’s biggest problem was taking bad shots. In his defense, he was just being introduced to a new system and he may have needed a grace period, especially with an increased role. Crowder’s minutes in Boston more than double his minutes in Dallas and he was making a large transition.

With a good portion of last season and a full offseason to work in Stevens’ system there are no more excuses. Crowder needs to become more of a factor on the offensive end and if he does that he will have a secure role for a long time with Boston.

The Celtics need Crowder to maintain his defense and they need him to elevate his offense and with no replacement options all the pressure falls on his shoulders. Crowder will have more help than he did a season ago and that may ease some of the pressure but he is going to have the largest role of his career this season with Boston.

The Celtics are putting a lot of trust in Crowder because they realize what kind of a transition this is for him and they did nothing to protect him with a backup plan. Crowder handled the pressure in the playoffs last year but it is even more important that he does not fold now that the Celtics have bigger expectations.

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