Jamal Crawford is the sixth player we’ve reviewed in our postseason Minnesota Timberwolves player review series, but he’s also quite possibly the most polarizing.
When the Timberwolves inked Jamal Crawford to a modest two-year contract with a player option in 2018-19, it was a clear sign that Tom Thibodeau recognized just how thin his bench was, and adding a two-time Sixth Man of the Year award-winner would hopefully bolster the group.
For Crawford’s part, well, he spoke about wanting a role with a young team instead of simply signing with a team like the Cavaliers, who recruited him heavily. He no doubt expected major minutes off the bench, and while he was easily the Wolves’ top minutes-getter as a reserve, Crawford didn’t exactly get what he was hoping for in that department.
The 37-year-old played the least amount of minutes per game in his career, save for his rookie season — all the way back in 2000-01. He averaged just 10.3 points per game, which was his worst mark since the 2001-02 campaign.
Back in July, your’s truly was not a huge fan of the signing. Here’s what I wrote at the time:
"Let’s start with the facts: Crawford is old, has always been a bad defender, and wasn’t very good last year in what was his age-36 season. He’s also one of the best sixth-men in recent memory, and his 36 percent three-point shooting would have been third-best on the Timberwolves a year ago if you exclude Gorgui Dieng, who only attempted 0.5 threes per game.As recently as 2014-15, Crawford was a fantastic bench piece and a dynamic pick-and-roll leader off the bench for Doc Rivers’ Clippers. Each of the last two seasons, however, he’s shot less three-pointers and more long-twos, and his defense has slipped from poor to horrendous.…Is Crawford the best fit for the Timberwolves? No. It’s entirely possible that he’s cooked and will be even worse this year then he was last season. But he’s consistently a league-average three-point shooter and a savvy veteran that could win a game or two with instant offense off the bench."
Crawford wasn’t even a league-average 3-point shooter, making just 33.1 percent of his threes. He made 40.6 percent of his shots from the corners, but only one in five of his long-range attempts were from that spot on the floor.
Without making threes at a high rate, Crawford was simply useless this season for the Wolves. He got to the rim less than ever before — only 5.8 percent of his field goal attempts came with three feet of the cup, and only 7.5 percent of his shots came from inside 10 feet.
Part of this is due to a step backwards in burst and athleticism, and part was due to scheme/the comfort of launching from the mid-range. Shockingly, a career-high 32.3 percent of Crawford’s field goal attempts came from the 16-foot-plus two-point range.
His 90.3 free throw percentage (and career mark of 86.2 percent) barely mattered, as he carried a free throw rate of only .152 — meaning that he only attempted .152 free throws for every field goal attempted — his lowest rate since 2001-02.
The defense was worse than ever. Crawford was last — No. 109 out of 109 — of all the shooting guards in the NBA when it came to Defensive Real Plus-Minus, as measured by ESPN. And it wasn’t close. Crawford put up a DRPM of -5.36. Troy Daniels, the No. 108 player, was at -4.52.
In overall Real Plus-Minus, Crawford was No. 108 out of 109, beating only Hornets rookie Malik Monk.
Crawford will reportedly decline the player option for next season and become a free agent, and it seems unlikely that he’d find his way back to Minnesota. For as much fun as Crawford seems to be as a person and as much as his teammates appeared to enjoy him, that’s probably the best thing for everyone.
Next: The Ringer wants an Andrew Wiggins trade
One of the best bench players in NBA history is well past his usefulness, at least in a significant role. But that’s okay. Father Time is undefeated, after all.