The Cleveland Cavaliers brought Jae Crowder in to shoot threes and play defense. This season, he has done neither of those with much consistency.
Just about every player outside of Jae Crowder, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Kyle Korver have shown up in trade rumors for the Cleveland Cavaliers. For now, his position on the team is safe, and apparently so is his starting spot.
With Kevin Love out till at least mid-March, Tyronn Lue inserted Crowder back into the starting lineup. However, it really doesn’t matter where Crowder starts the game because the end result is usually the same. Crowder, unlike several others Cavs, has not received much scrutiny due to his poor play this season.
His numbers have been far worse this season than last. At this point last season, Crowder had managed to rack up 7 games of at least 20 points. This season, he’s had none.
He’s averaging over 5.0 fewer points per game and is shooting over 6.0 percent worse from downtown. To add to that, both Crowder’s rebounds and assists per game have been virtually cut in half in Cleveland.
At what point is Crowder to blame for the Cavs poor play?
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It’s understandable that most fans and analysts point the finger at the Cavs’ superstar leader, LeBron James. But the truth is that his role players have been subpar performers, and it starts with starter Jae Crowder.
It hasn’t just been his shooting though. Crowder’s bread-and-butter is his defense and that’s where he’s been struggling as well. According to ESPN, Crowder ranks No. 94 out of a qualified 97 power forwards in defensive box plus/minus. Crowder’s also on pace for a career-low in defensive win shares.
Let’s recap. His shooting and playmaking are down from last season, and his defensive stats are possible on target for the worst of his six-year career.
To add to all this, Crowder’s total rebounding rate (7.3 percent) and his defensive rebounding rate (10.7 percent) are the lowest of his career.
What’s the point of showing how offensively and defensively crippling Crowder has been? It’s important because Crowder continues to start, continues to get quality minutes of Jeff Green, and continues to struggle. So, at what point is it on the coach?
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Following the All-Star break, expect to still have Crowder as a proud member of the Cleveland Cavaliers but for his chances to quickly quit coming when he fails to start contributing meaningful minutes.