I have been very impressed with how Crowder has played over the last few games. Not only has he seemed to step up his defense, which seemed to not be as good as previous years, but he is finally combining his improved efficiency this year with his want to be aggressive towards the hoop in past years.
I saw a lot of people on here post/comment about how Jae wasn't playing as well in previous years and I just didn't see it (being blinded by the good shooting numbers), but these last couple games have shown us what he can truly be, along with showing me what he had been lacking so far this year. I remember a Player's Tribune article about the top 5 "Glue Guys" in the league and it listed Crowder as one of them. I think Crowder is getting back to that. The value he brings as a wing defender, floor spacer, and secondary offensive weapon was exactly what this team needed especially after Bradley went down. As good as Jaylen has played since being put into the starting lineup I think it has been Jae's resurgence that has allowed Smart to remain with the second unit, which is necessary for it to remain effective.
My final point being that moving forward I think its essential to keep Isaiah, Smart, and Crowder. As much as I love Avery our depth at the guard position just makes him slightly more expendable in a time period when we may not have enough money to retain all of them. I am not saying to trade Avery now, but if I had to choose any of the 4 to move at next year's trade deadline, he would be my choice.
Submitted January 30, 2017 at 02:04PM by jearshoanrdt55