Jae Crowder is putting in work to locate his shot before game four


Jae Crowder has been struggling on offense so far this postseason. The swingman is shooting an abysmal 19.4% from the floor in the three games against the Hawks in the first round. Now, Crowder is searching for a fix:
But Jae didn't only spend time after practice on Saturday, he spent time after Friday night's game too. In an article on NBA.com, Taylor Snow described Crowder burning the midnight oil by driving out to the Waltham practice facility just to shoot around and work on his shot. Jae shot for close to 45 minutes until about 1:30 in the morning. That's dedication.

Now the question is whether it will translate to better shooting in game. And with a huge game on Sunday, Crowder talked to reporters Saturday about what he's hoping to accomplish with the extra time in the gym, via Chris Forsberg:
[Game four] is a big game for us and I wanted to really step into my shots and be a force in my offensive game. I'm doing great on defense and guys are still applauding me on that, but I just want to lift our team up a little more in the offensive end. I just wanted to see the ball go through the hoop.

In spite of Crowder's offensive woes, Isaiah Thomas is confident in his teammate, and expects him to burst out sometime soon:
A big part of what is hurting him (literally and figuratively) is his high ankle sprain. Crowder isn't 100% healthy. That's for sure. He has described himself as only 70%, and feels like he won't be completely back to normal until the offseason officially begins. But in spite of his nagging ankle injury, he's still playing phenomenal defense. Crowder has been assigned to guarding the beast known as Paul Millsap, and he's done a hell of a job:
Crowder is still slated to get the start for game four, and will hope to improve his shaky shooting and help even up the series at two a piece.

Topher Lane is on Twitter, @Topher_L. Photo credit: David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports.
Share