Jae Crowder has been on the rise as a small forward and come February, could very well find himself playing in LA with the leagues best
With the Paul’s (George and Millsap) headed out west, spots need to be filled for the east’s all star roster. Jae Crowder has been on the rise and the 2017-18 season could be his time to prove any doubters wrong.
After a slow start in Dallas and a much needed change of scenery, Crowder was able to get his career on track once he donned a Boston Celtics jersey.
Ever since Crowder has been in Beantown, his averages have risen considerably, especially seeing that his points per game didn’t hit double figures until his first official full season in Boston. Crowder’s rebounds and assists per game have also risen since he became a Celtic.
Seeing that the Celtics have added Gordon Hayward to their roster of already talented players, some wonder if this will limit Crowder; however, many forget that these two players are very versatile, making them able to play at other positions.
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No matter what the official starting lineup is, one can almost guarantee that Crowder will remain in the starting lineup, as he has expressed in the past that he does not want to come off of the bench.
The Celtics have proven in the past that they can turn forgotten players into something special by taking players like Evan Turner or Jonas Jerebko, and helping them expand their game, turning them into role players under the right coaching system.
Brad Stevens has done such with Crowder, especially after Crowder had shown how eager he was to start winning once he arrived. Many tend to forget that it was Crowder’s voice that persuaded the front office to kick things into overdrive and accelerate the rebuild to forge a contender.
Now that the Celtics have just that, Crowder is more than ready to help the team continue its winning ways and make continuous improvements to propel him to an all star level.
Next: Imagining a Celtics Offense with Kyrie Irving
The Celtics have already discovered a two-time (soon to be three) all star in Isaiah Thomas, and it’s looking like their next all star could very well be Mr. 99 Problems aka Jae Crowder himself.