Jae Crowder

Crowder signed a three-year, $29.2 million deal with the Suns last offseason and instantly became a fan favorite. A prototypical role player, Crowder brought value to the young Suns last season with his veteran leadership and energy, as well as his ability to defend multiple positions and space the floor. When the Suns and Bucks met in the Finals, Crowder brought much-needed experience as the only player on either teams' roster to have appeared in a previous Finals (he was with Miami in 2020). In 2021-22, Crowder will return for his second season with the Suns, but the aging veteran may face more competition for floor time than he did last year. Although Dario Saric will still be out for the foreseeable future, the emergence of Cam Johnson during last season's playoffs and Jalen Smith during the Summer League means Crowder could lose minutes and potentially even his starting job. Crowder can provide you with solid threes (he hit 2.5 per game last year) and rebounds (4.7 last season), but he hurts you in field goal percentage (40.4% last year and 41.9% career) and points (just 10.1 last year and 9.6 career). Crowder's value in 2021-22 may be more in the intangibles he brings to the Suns rather than his fantasy production.

Crowder began the 2019-20 season on the Grizzlies, where he averaged 9.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.7 threes and 1.0 steals in 29.4 minutes. In February, the veteran was traded to the Heat for rebuilding pieces. With Miami, Crowder averaged 11.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.9 threes, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals in 27.7 minutes. Overall, Crowder had his best fantasy campaign on a per-game basis since 2016-17 with the Celtics. He was also a strong option for the Heat, who went to the NBA Finals, during the playoffs. During the 2020 offseason, Crowder inked a three-year, $29.2 million deal to join the Suns, who are pushing for the playoffs with the addition of Chris Paul. Crowder figures to start for the Suns, where he could see a similar role to his time with the Heat. If that's the case, he should make for a fine fantasy option worth drafting outside of the first 100 picks.

Crowder was traded to the Grizzlies this offseason as part of the deal that sent Mike Conley to the Jazz. His role figures to increase as a possible starter on a rebuilding franchise rather than a sixth-man on a fringe title contender. He averaged 11.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists for Utah just a season ago. Though he's not an adept shooter (39.9 field goal percentage, 33.1 three-point percentage last season), Crowder drained 2.2 threes per contest and has averaged 1.9 triples per game over the last four years. He can play either forward spot, but it may be tough to find consistent minutes at the four with rookie standout Jaren Jackson and first-round pick Brandon Clarke manning that position. Crowder's path to playing time will likely be at the three, where his main competition will be Kyle Anderson and former Suns first-rounder Josh Jackson. Crowder is the most reliable and established option at small forward, and it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect him to trend near 30 minutes per game.

Crowder, who was dealt to the Cavaliers during the summer of 2017 in the trade that sent Kyrie Irving to Boston, had an underwhelming 2017-18 campaign. His Cleveland tenure didn't last the whole season, as he was dealt to Utah during the Cavs’ flurry of deadline moves. After averaging 14.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals during his final two years with the Celtics, Crowder regressed to 9.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists and fewer than a steal per game last season. He also saw his three-point percentage drop from 39.8 percent two years ago to 32.3 percent last year. Considering his Fantasy relevance was heavily contingent on his overall volume, Crowder’s move into a sixth-man role will likely result in him going undrafted in most standard leagues this season. That said, he still remains someone to keeps tabs on if Derrick Favors and/or Rudy Gobert miss time.

Crowder's 2016-17 campaign was set in a complementary role to Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford, providing a two-way threat that could play both power forward and small forward. He saw his scoring dip just a bit to 13.9 points per game across 32.4 minutes, but most notably he became a much better shooter overall, especially at the three-point line where he averaged a career-high 39.8 percent. That put Crowder's Fantasy value at an all time high, though the 2017-18 season could come with some changes. Crowder, along with Isaiah Thomas, Ante Zizic and a first-round pick were traded to the Cavaliers in exchange for Kyrie Irving. With starters LeBron James, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson all back once again in the frontcourt, that likely leaves Crowder in a bench role despite starting every game he's played over the last two seasons. His minutes could take a hit as a result, though the Cavaliers could also try some small-ball lineups with Kevin Love at center and Crowder at power forward, so it's still somewhat unclear how much time Crowder will sacrifice. That said, it's hard to see Crowder's scoring numbers increase while coming off the bench. Crowder’s 10 shot attempts per game should also go down a tick playing alongside the likes of James, Thomas and Love. But considering the forward was also good for 2.2 made threes, 5.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.0 steal and solid percentages last year, Crowder has proven he can produce without a ton of shots. Fantasy-wise, this summer might make for yet another opportunity to successfully buy low on the do-it-all forward.

Coming off of a career year in his first full season with the Celtics, Crowder will look to continue his ascent as one of the league's better two-way wings. Crowder finished sixth in Most Improved Player of the Year voting in 2015-16, averaging 14.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.7 steals in 31.6 minutes per game. As the numbers indicate, Crowder isn't a spectacular contributor in any one category, but he offers steady production across the board, and at age 26, it's reasonable to think he'll keep improving. Three-point shooting is the obvious area of Crowder's game that could use work after he shot a pedestrian 33.6 percent from deep on 5.0 attempts per game last season. Crowder now enters the second year of the five-year, $35 million contract he signed last summer, making him one of the league's biggest bargains at any position. His standing as the Celtics' starting small forward isn't in any jeopardy, but coach Brad Stevens' team became even deeper on the wing this offseason with the addition of No. 3 overall pick Jaylen Brown. Over the long term, the versatile forward out of California profiles similarly to Crowder, though his jump shot, and offensive game as a whole, are still very much of a work in progress at this point. As such, Crowder's role figures to remain relatively steady, though a mild reduction in minutes will likely be necessary to accommodate Brown's arrival.

Crowder's NBA career blossomed when he was traded to the Celtics last December. Coach Brad Stevens gave Crowder the chance to demonstrate, front and center, his defensive prowess, outside shooting, and team-oriented play. The pinnacle of Crowder's renaissance occurred during the first round playoff series versus Cleveland. Crowder started and was charged with guarding LeBron James one-on-one. Crowder held his own, much to the pleasure of the Boston Garden crowd, before suffering a season-ending knee injury. With Boston, Crowder averaged 24 minutes, 9.5 points, 1.7 three-pointers, and 1.0 steal per game. He also started 17 games. For 2015-16, it's unknown whether Crowder or Evan Turner will start at small forward for Boston. Crowder is still undergoing precautionary rehabilitation but says he believes his left knee is now 100 percent. The Celtics rewarded Crowder's end-of-season heroics with a new five-year deal. Clearly, he is a part of Boston's future plans. If Turner is traded, as some have rumored, than Crowder would have a very clear path to increased minutes.

Jae Crowder is entering his third season in the NBA. He suffered a bit of a sophomore slump last year as he averaged 4.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.3 blocks in 16 minutes per game. Crowder played in 78 games and finished the year shooting 44 percent from the field on 3.8 attempts per game and 75 percent from the free-throw line on 0.8 attempts per game. He impressed in the D-League last season posting back-to-back triple doubles. Unfortunately, he hasn't displayed the same playmaking ability in the NBA. He's earned a reputation as a solid defender, but he's been a streaky shooter on the opposite end of the floor. The addition of Chandler Parsons will keep Crowder out of the starting lineup, and he will have to compete with new teammates Al-Farouq Aminu and Richard Jefferson for playing time. Consistency will be key if Crowder wants to be a regular member of the rotation, but he's fighting an uphill battle on a crowded Dallas depth chart.

Crowder earned playing time during his rookie season with a hard-nosed style of play. However, hustle and energy don't always carry over into fantasy. Crowder has to improve on his shooting numbers from last year when he shot 38 percent from the field.

Of the three rookies on the Dallas roster, Crowder is the most likely to see meaningful minutes. His energetic style of play earned him an All-Star nod in Summer League, where he averaged 16.6 points per game. Coach Rick Carlisle has been known to keep rookies on a short leash, however, so he’ll have to earn his playing time.