To my surprise, Jae Crowder was ranked No. 44 on Sports Illustrated’s list of the top 100 NBA players. He was just four spots under teammate Isaiah Thomas.
The Cleveland Cavaliers made the blockbuster trade of the summer, and it involved Jae Crowder, who seemed happy to join the Cavs. Alongside Crowder, Isaiah Thomas, who was ranked No. 40 on SI’s list, joined in him Cleveland.
Derrick Rose and J.R. Smith were both snubbed from this list while Tristan Thompson came in at No. 52.
Here is what SI had to say about Crowder and his rank.
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"The fiery and hardnosed Crowder (13.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.2 APG) stands above all of his 3-and-D brethren when it comes to the major advanced stats, ranking No. 20 in Real Plus Minus, No. 45 in Win Shares and No. 58 in WARP. It’s plain to see why the 6’6” forward is an analytics darling: he’s a dependable spot-up option and shot nearly 40% from deep last season, he rebounds well for his position, he guards multiple spots, he moves well and is an opportunistic off-ball scoring threat, and he competes with great energy. This is not a typo: Boston’s net rating sunk from +7.8 with the 27-year-old Crowder on the court to -3.9 when he went to the bench. That’s a star-level swing."
Crowder impacts the game. He is a fantastic 3-and-D weapon that LeBron James will be able to use this upcoming season. Most people just saw Crowder as a toss-in for the Cavaliers’ recent blockbuster trade, but his value goes far beyond most casual fans think.
Crowder couldn’t find his spot in the NBA for quite some time. He was in the D-league being assigned and recalled just three years ago. The Marquette University product was actually drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 34th pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. The day after, he was sent to Dallas, and now Cleveland wanted him back after Dallas dealt him to Boston.
Needless to say, the Cavaliers have a strong urge that Crowder will succeed on this team. His defensive presence is needed on a team that had the NBA’s 22nd worst defensive rating.
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This is a match made in heaven, and Crowder is very deserving of his rank at 44.