There has been no official announcement but all signs are pointing to Jae Crowder returning to the Boston Celtics‘ lineup tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers. The race for the three seed in the eastern conference has been as close as its been all year long and the Celtics should be at full strength for the final push.
Most people had already realized how important Crowder is to the Celtics. He is the best two way player on the team. The strongest defender and a top three point shooter. Crowder gives the Celtics their best lineup options with his ability to play multiple positions, including the four in a three guard lineup.
Now that people have seen what life without Crowder is like, they are starting to question whether Crowder or Thomas is the most important player on the team. The Celtics had a solid four game winning streak, including a quality win against the Toronto Raptors, without Crowder. However, it has been clear they they have regressed in almost every area without Crowder.
The Celtics aren’t scoring as much, they aren’t defending as well. They don’t have the same continuity with their lineup and the second unit has not had the same impact. The Celtics have struggled to find their flow without Crowder in the lineup and their prospects of winning against teams like the Blazers and the Warriors are dim at best without him. The Celtics cannot afford to drop another three games in a row and the return of Crowder could be the difference maker in having success over the next two games.
The starting unit will be better for two reasons. Firstly, Crowder is the most efficient three point shooter on the starting unit. The man who replaced him, Evan Turner, has been a non factor from three most of the season. The Celtics simply did not have an adequate replacement from beyond the arc, and even though Jonas Jerebko played well that did not help the starting unit.
Crowder also helps the offense with the space he creates. Crowder is a difficult player for defenses to account to and even if he does not rack up assists, the way he helps spacing floor puts the Celtics in a better position to execute their offense properly. Crowder has been known for his defense but his absence has finally put into perspective his importance to the offense.
The second unit will also be getting it’s instigator back now. Turner did a solid job taking over for Crowder but that left the second unit without their most important player. Turner may not be a dynamic option for the Celtics but he gives their second unit their edge. He is behind just Thomas in assists and, even if it is not from three, Turner has pin pointed what he needs to do to get quality opportunities.
Then there’s the defensive impact and that is where Crowder is the most important. Again, it helps the second unit tremendously because it gives them their best matchup defender. Turner has the widest range of positions he can potentially cover and there simply is no one else behind Turner that can take on that role without him.
The starting lineup will also be under much less pressure with Crowder. Crowder is frequently assigned with covering a team’s best player and that allows the other great defenders (especially the guards) to make more plays on defense. Crowder is the Celtics’ best on ball defender and he also allows their better off ball defenders to have a greater impact.
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The Celtics need Crowder on both ends of the court. His importance goes far beyond the box score and his impact extends to every aspect of the game. Crowder may be the Celtics’ most irreplaceable player and everyone else on the team will be in a better position to succeed with him back in the lineup.