If You Want to Make the NBA Finals… Sign Jae Crowder
Jae Crowder is now the only player in the entire league to make the NBA Finals both last season and this season. Crowder was a wonderful addition to the Heat last year when he was traded from Memphis to Miami, in part of the Andre Iguodala trade. He shot a career-high 44.5% from three for the Heat following the trade and started all 21 playoff games for them. This off-season Crowder elected to sign with the Suns and outside of Chris Paul, was the 2nd biggest addition to the young team, bringing his signature toughness and rugged defense along with a developed 3-point-stroke. Crowder has started all 15 playoff games for the Suns on their way to the finals, which just adds to his postseason resume.
For an NBA journeyman, Jae Crowder has actually made the playoffs every season since 2013 for five different franchises; Dallas, Boston, Utah, Miami, and now Phoenix. He has played in 87 playoff games, starting in 66 of them and has been a key contributor on every team. In his playoff career, Crowder has averages of 10.7 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 2.0 APG along with stout defense, most notably against LeBron James.
What Makes Crowder Such a Good Glue Guy?
Crowder may be viewed as being a product of the team around him but he has been one of the most consistent and reliable playoff rotation guys in recent memory. He is an experienced, gritty, and hard-worker player, an ultimate locker room teammate, and is solid at every aspect of the game. Crowder knows his role and generally plays it to perfection. Not only that, but his value shoots through the roof when you realize just how inexpensive he has been over the course of his NBA career. This season, Crowder is the 133rd highest-paid NBA player… and it is actually the most money he has ever been paid at just $9,258,000. Take a look at his past salaries:
This means that you are never overpaying for Crowder and you have more flexibility to fill out the rest of your roster. As an NBA franchise, you can now pay your stars max money, have a few players on cheap rookie contracts while they develop, and Crowder can fill in the gaps both on the court and in the salary cap. The Phoenix Suns have made great use of this model, as Crowder is the 4th highest paid player on their team (behind Paul, Booker, and Ayton) but he makes under the league average for salary. He is the ideal 5th man.
Phoenix has now made the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993, when Charles Barkley and the Suns lost to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls 4-2. In ’93, it was Chuck who started at power forward for the Suns. In 2021, and twenty-eight years later, it will be Jae Crowder starting at power forward as Phoenix tries to win their first ever championship.
