Three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford has reportedly agreed to join the Timberwolves to shore up their bench. What are the pros and cons of this addition to the Wolves?
The Minnesota Timberwolves and Jamal Crawford have reportedly agreed to a two-year, $8.7 million contract.
Crawford is a great addition to the struggling bench for Minnesota — a bench that ranked last in the NBA for points last season.
Crawford is known for his explosive play off the bench which makes him a great fit for Minnesota. He is the only player in history to be a three-time Sixth Man of the Year and continues to show that he is one of the elite premier bench players in the NBA.
The former L.A. Clipper can be the missing piece to the puzzle that Minnesota is currently building. His impact will be felt immediately because what he brings is something that the Timberwolves did not have last season.
He is someone you can check into the game and known without a doubt that he’ll get you some points. Though, like all good things Jamal also comes with his flaws.
One main flaw about Crawford is the fact that hes 37 years old. You aren’t sure which Crawford you’ll get next season, and that makes it a huge risk. There’s a chance we may see Sixth Man of the Year Crawford, but there is also a chance we may see a veteran who will give minimal production.
This is a chance the Timberwolves have to take, though. Minnesota needs help of the bench and Crawford will come into that role and fill it perfectly seeing as he knows the role so well.
Can Crawford be a main reason why the Timberwolves make the playoffs next year?
Here are some pros and cons of why he may be and why he may not be.
Offensive Capability
Crawford is one of the best ISO scorers in the NBA.
His ball-handling and shooting ability makes it easy for him to get off his shot at a moment’s notice. Not only is he able to score at will but when’s feeling good, great things happen.
While his points per game did drop last season from 14.2 to 12.3, both his field goal percentage and three-point percentage rose. Minnesota was in desperate need of production of the bench and he has the ability and skill set to bring this to the team.
Crawford is a 15.3 points per game scorer for his career and still shown at 37 years of age he can put up big numbers even as a reserve. He had multiple 20+ point games last season as well posting a 25-point game in this recent post season.
Crawford is someone who you can give the ball and say “go get me a bucket.” While he may known for his scoring, he’s also an underrated play-maker. There’s no question that Crawford is a score-first guard, but he has the ability to set teammates up for easy shots and isn’t a selfish player.
Crawford has a career average of 3.5 assists per game. He’s a willing passer and will make the extra pass if it means setting up for a better shot.
Not only will he make the extra pass, but he’ll also add some flash too it which is good for the team. This meaning that he’ll make it fun for these guys to play. After all, players are known to play better when they’re playing hard but are having fun in the process as well.
For this reason, he’ll be a great fit coming off the bench for Minnesota. Minnesota’s bench was last in the league for scoring last season, so Crawford’s immaculate offensive skill set will be felt immediately.
Inconsistency
Crawford is a very streaky shooter.
Of course, it only takes a couple shots for him to get into a zone. And when he gets into that zone, he turns into a dangerous and lethal scorer.
This includes him being able to break down the defense, get to the rim at will and make shots that others only dream to make.
Crawford is a confident and deadly scorer when he’s feeling good. The only downfall about him being a streaky shooter is it comes with inconsistency. One night he can go for 27 points and the next night he may only score seven points.
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He showed this trend a few times in the 2016-17 NBA season. On December 14th, Crawford only scored a single point while shooting 0-for-5 from the field. Nine days later, he would score 26 points, shooting 10-of-16 on the night.
This is a perfect example of the type of player Jamal Crawford is. In a sense, he’s a boom or bust player.
Inconsistency is common for some players, but it’s risky because Crawford’s role for the Timberwolves would most likely require him to be the center of focus for Minnesota bench.
You can’t have a key guy showing up one game and not showing up the next. Obviously, that could hurt you come playoff time. When playoffs come everyone must step up and play to their full potential, you don’t want your sixth-man to disappear in crucial moments.
You’re never sure which player you may get that night and that should be a little bit of a concern for a Wolves team who desperately needs bench scoring every game.
Veteran Leadership
Crawford has been in the NBA for 17 years, just having that type of experience on a team is valuable. He’s bounced around the league a bit but with that not only comes leadership but also playoff experience.
Crawford has been in those big moments and he has taken those big shots; he knows what it feels like to win and knows what it feels like to lose. He can teach those young guys how to cope with both situations.
He’s been in those moments and he can teach young guys such as Andrew Wiggins and Karl Anthony Towns how to react in those moments. Also, just by being in the league so long, Crawford played with many players and has played under countless coaches.
This is great because he can bring new ideas and schemes that may work for the Timberwolves that they didn’t even know of. The veteran presence can also be felt in the locker room.
Players need to be held accountable for things such as mistakes. A veteran won’t hesitate to tell a young guy what mistakes he’s doing on the court. The Timberwolves need Crawford to be that veteran.
They need someone to uplift the team after tough loss, someone to point out guys who were making mistakes. That tough love mindset can go a long way in the NBA.
Teams need a leader to step up when things aren’t going how they should be or when other guys aren’t playing to their potential and Crawford can be that guy.
He’s 37 years old and knows that his time in the league is most likely limited, its unlikely that he wants to play around. Veterans want to win, and Crawford has the ability to help turn Minnesota into a winning culture.
Age
Jamal Crawford is 37 years old.
While he has shown that he still has some gas left in the tank, Father Time, on the other hand, stands undefeated. Old age eventually catches up to professional athletes and you’ve got to think that age may soon catch up to Crawford.
A lot of his game comes from his ability to use his quickness, speed, and his insane ball-handling to create his own shot. He’s a very elusive player who has a wide skill set that relies heavily on his ability to create his own shot.
By doing this he must be in great physical shape and condition though age heavily impacts this. Also, another question is how many minutes a game will he be able to play? Tom Thibodeau is known for playing his players for extensive minutes.
Crawford will most likely have a huge role off the bench for the Minnesota Timberwolves seeing as they had the worst bench in the NBA. Can Jamal Crawford physically play 12-18 minutes a game at his age, and play at a high level?
That may be a huge task for him, and especially when the Wolves have games that are back-to-backs. No one can truly tell whether he will be in good enough condition to contribute those type of minutes besides himself.
Age can also factor into team chemistry as well. The landscape of the NBA has changed multiple times since he’s been in the league and there’s a possibility that he can at times clash with the younger guys.
Of course, great players always know how to adapt to their circumstances and Crawford is a great player. Even at 37 years old, he still is no slouch.
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He still has the potential to have an immediate impact in Minnesota. Crawford had an average 2016-17 season, but it’s hard to know if he’ll go into next season with the same production, or if he’ll have a bounce-back, Sixth Man of the Year-type season with the Timberwolves.