Is Jae Crowder a Star?

Jae Crowder is a very important part of the team, but is he a star?

Following the Boston Celtics signing Al Horford and missing out on Kevin Durant, they’re still on the look out for another star to complete their Big 3. After the All-Star season Isaiah Thomas put together, it’s hard not to consider him a star in the NBA. He finished 11th in the NBA in scoring with 22.2 points per game, and became a much better playmaker – 6.2 assists per game.

In the end, the Celtics are still one star short of completing their Big 3. It’s hard to say that one more star will make them real competition for the Golden State Warriors, however it would surely make them a bigger threat to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East.

After a smart off-season, Danny Ainge has set himself up perfectly to land a star via the draft, free agency or in a trade within the upcoming season. Although, some people believe that the missing piece to a Big 3 might already be on the roster.

After taking to Twitter, 34 percent of people who voted believe Jae Crowder is a star. That’s a staggering number for a player without any accolades and only one solid season under his belt. It’s not that he only has one productive season as a starter, though, rather that he doesn’t produce star numbers, yet.

His former Marquette teammate Jimmy Butler also quickly rose to fame a couple of years ago. He was a terrible offensive player during his first three seasons in the league, but the knee jerk reaction still happened and he received a max-contract. He backed up his max contract last season with another All-Star appearance, but his rise to fame is easier to back up than people proclaiming Crowder has already reached stardom.

Butler put together 20 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game two seasons ago. There was good reason for people freaking out over his play, but it’s hard to make the same argument about Crowder, who has a very similar style of play as Butler.

This past season was the only the second time he has averaged more than 20 minutes per game. Although, he only averaged 10.6 minutes in 25 minutes for the Dallas Mavericks before being sent to Boston in a mid-season trade. Therefore, this was his first full season as a starter, or owning a significant role in any capacity.

Obviously, he didn’t disappoint. He contributed 14.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game on 44.3 percent shooting from the field and 33.6 percent from three. He was a go-to player late in the game when he hit many clutch threes in the fourth quarter. Still, it’s hard to say he’s a star in the NBA, and not just a really good complimentary piece.

Yes, Crowder impacts the game more than the stat sheet says. He’s one of the best defenders in the game and his versatility is a huge asset to the Celtics. After playing 77 percent of his minutes as a small forward and 23 percent as a power forward last season, it’s safe to say Crowder is one of Brad Stevens favorite options when running a small ball lineup. With the new addition of Jaylen Brown, I’d expect Crowder to play the four more often this upcoming season.

Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /

Despite all this, it’s tough to truly grasp where Crowder ranks among the great defenders in the NBA. He has had the luxury of playing alongside Avery Bradley since joining the Celtics, with Marcus Smart coming off the bench. Obviously Crowder’s a very good defender, but he has more help than most players do in the NBA.

Also, when looking at his numbers against LeBron James and Kevin Durant, it gives off mixed signals. For one, James averaged 27.3 points per game in three games against Boston last season (two points higher than his season average). Durant averaged 28 points per contest, putting him right around his season average of 28.2 points per game. Although, with Crowder being the defender most of the time, James only shot 47.6 percent from the field and Durant 47.4 percent.

It could have been a bad shooting night from Durant, but to effectively guard James three times is impressive, even if playing next to Bradley. There’s no denying his ability on that end, but you also can’t forget to factor in the Celtics team defense, as well.

Offensively, Crowder has yet to show the ability to take over games. Yes, he’s a reliable scorer down the stretch but he’s not a player Brad Stevens feels comfortable handing him the ball for half a quarter and having him lead the team. In fact, Crowder was assisted on 75.6 percent of his two-point shots and 94.3 percent of his threes.

While that’s not necessarily bad, it’s extremely high and shows that he’s more of a catch-and-shoot player, or slasher, than someone who creates off the dribble. To put it in perspective, Isaiah Thomas was only assisted on 33.7 percent of his twos and 64.7 percent of his threes. Avery Bradley, who is considered a catch-and-shoot player, even had fewer assisted baskets than Crowder. Bradley was assisted on 64.7 percent of his two-points makes and 91.2 percent of his threes.

It’s not to necessarily say that Crowder is a product of a system, but he doesn’t have the innate ability to take over a game when his team needs him to. It’s a big reason why he attempted 44.6 percent of his shots from three last season, despite being a mediocre three-point shooter.

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While his 1.8 assists per game doesn’t do justice to his ability to set up his teammates, he’s not someone the Celtics ran their offense through, either. He only had a 18.5 percent usage rate, which ranked near the bottom on the team.

When it comes down to it, Crowder was brought into a very good system. And yes, he has one of the best contracts in the NBA. Although, a contract alone doesn’t make you a star.

With only a season and a half of significant playing time under his belt, there is still a lot of untapped potential. This pasts season, he showed a lot of how he fits into any style of play and could become a 16-18 point scorer in the future, but I have a hard time believing he’ll be able to reach the 20 points per game mark.

On every winning team, there are glue guys, and Crowder is that for Boston. He’s one of the leaders and hardest-working players. Every team needs guys like that to be successful, but, despite being arguably their most valuable trade piece, he’s not a star, yet.

Next: Celtics Should Look Into Trade For Nikola Vucevic

He’s a huge difference maker in the playoffs, but he’s not someone you can build your team around.

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