The season long emergence of Jordan Crawford
Crawford is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season. However, he thinks that in Boston, under Stevens, he's found an environment where he can flourish.
"I think everybody bought in from Day One," Crawford said of the Celtics' surprising start. "(Stevens) has done a good job of keeping us focused."
Still, he can't help but think about the decision he'll have to make this summer.
"It's an NBA thing," he said "You're supposed to think about being a free agent. It's going to happen, so there's nothing I can do to deny it. I definitely want to be here. But it's the NBA. You never know what's going to happen."
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again- I’m pretty sure the only person who saw Jordan Crawford coming this year was Jordan Crawford. From being Doc Rivers’ proclaiming him as a member of “the all-scare team” to becoming one of the leading scorers on the Boston Celtics, what a difference a year makes.
Much of Crawford’s success has come from the opportunity that coach Brad Stevens has given him since the beginning of the 2013-14 season. Crawford, whose natural position is a shooting guard, has made the most of his time at the point while Celtics All-Star Rajon Rondo recovers from knee surgery. In his role as starting point guard on the Celtics, Crawford is averaging 13.6 points and 5.4 rebounds a game.
"He's done a good job," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "Like anybody else, he has his moments of things he can improve on, but he's really done a good job."
The Celtics opted not to pick up the option on any of their young guards- Avery Bradley, Jordan Crawford, or MarShon Brooks. Since then, Crawford’s production has exploded and has become one a consistent offensive contributor during this rebooting year.
In his own words, he’s unsure of what will happen in the off-season as he walks into restricted free agency. As for right now, he is happy to be in Celtic green and hopes stay in Boston going forward. As the team continues to rebuild, those are the kinds of guys the Celtics need to keep.
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