After experiencing a brief drought, Celtics forward Jae Crowder has returned to his consistent ways over the past five games.
Following the Boston Celtics’ defeat of the Jazz on January third, small forward Jae Crowder made his disappointment known after witnessing the Celtics faithful cheer opposing small forward Hayward during pre-game warmups. With Hayward being a free agent this offseason and serving as a potential replacement to Crowder in the starting lineup based on his past history with Boston head coach Brad Stevens while with the Butler Bulldogs, Crowder perceived the crowd’s reaction as a slight directed at his productivity.
He was quick to sound off on Twitter, firing off emotional responses at probing Celtics fans while chiding them for failing to appreciate his efforts on the floor. He even went as far as to hint at a possible desire to leave Boston for a city that would better appreciate the resources that he brings to the table. Crowder received plentiful criticism for the manner in which he expressed his feelings from media outlets across the nation. This critique could have placed a burden on his shoulders to exceed expectations over the following segment of contests, as Crowder appeared to press too hard on the floor with his shot struggling as a result.
Following a 21-point performance against Utah in which he fared 5-of-6 from beyond the three-point line, Crowder scuffled in the subsequent three games. Against the 76ers on January sixth, the contest which ensued the Twitter fiasco, Crowder garnered just four shot attempts over the course of 30 minutes. He was held without a point for the first time in 2016-17 despite being guarded by 76ers small forward Covington, the owner of a mediocre defensive rating of 104. In a victory over the Pelicans on night later, Crowder found the going tough once again, recording just eight points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field amid a plethora of jeers from the TD Garden crowd.
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This slump carried over into January 10th’s matchup against the Raptors. In a defeat in which the Celtics needed Crowder’s marksmanship from deep to play a role as the team was horrendous on the defensive glass, the Marquette product made just one of his five attempts from beyond the three-point line en route to just nine points in 38 minutes of action. All-Star starter DeRozan abused Crowder repeatedly on the offensive end to the tune of 41 points while Crowder made a minimal impact on the boards as well with just a pair of rebounds.
At this stage, Crowder was the recipient of a collection of heat from pundits and Celtics fans alike, criticized for being unable to support his eager “Twitter fingers” with sufficient performance on the floor. However, Crowder rebounded the following night in a victory over the Wizards. In a 117-108 triumph against a playoff contender sporting potentially the best backcourt tandem in the Eastern Conference, Crowder exploded for 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field in the midst of knocking down four treys. Two nights later, Crowder hit four three-pointers once again, serving as a key catalyst in the Celtics potent offensive emergence by adding 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting in a 103-101 victory. Crowder also added nine rebounds in the hard-fought win, an effort which translated into the Celtics defeat of the Hornets in their next appearance. In this showing, Crowder swiped seven rebounds while pouring in 15 points, including three connections from deep.
Two nights later, Crowder was one of the lone bright spots in a heart-wrenching home defeat at the hands of the Knicks, putting up 21 points and five rebounds on 7-of-13 shooting before adding 16 points in 40 minutes in January 21’s overtime loss at the hands of the Trail Blazers.
Overall, Crowder is morphing into the ideal asset for the Celtics at the small forward slot. His three-point percentage has skyrocketed from an abysmal 33.6 percent to 42.6 percent this season, making him a reliable option for point guard Isaiah Thomas to kick the ball out to on the perimeter. This has resulted in a career high true shooting percentage of 63.8 percent and an offensive box plus-minus of 2.0. Crowder’s shot selection has improved significantly as well, as he has adjusted to become someone able to create for others rather than hoisting up three-pointers when contested, emphasized by his career-best assist percentage of 10 percent.
