Jae Crowder: spot-up shooting specialist

Jae Crowder's NBA 2K rating came out a couple days ago, and the man with perhaps the biggest chip on his shoulder had something to say:

We have seen multiple instances, in which Jae has felt disrespected. Whether it is liking tweets about people wanting him to be traded or fans cheering for opposing players, Crowder has proven to be an emotional individual. However, that is what has made him into an above average NBA player. The grit and the emotion he shows on a nightly basis, is the direct result of always feeling like an underdog. Jae might overreact to certain situations, but there is no doubt he is talented.

Nothing highlights this idea more than the article from Todd Whitehead of Fansided. As explained in the article, Crowder has become one of the best spot-up shooters in the NBA. He ranks second to only Otto Porter Jr. of the Washington Wizards. You may recall this is the Otto Porter Jr. that just received the restricted free agent max contract from the Wizards. The player ranking third on this list is Tony Snell, who just received a contract for $44 million over four years. Keep in mind Jae Crowder is making around $35 million over the next five years.

So what is a spot-up wing shooter? According to Whitehead, there is a very specific definition:
Spot-up wings took 51% of their FGA as 3-pointers off zero or one dribbles and were eight of the Top-15 "stationary-3" shooters.

Great, now we have the definition, why is this important? Let me break it down. The Boston Celtics offense is known as an offense that relies on ball-movement. A guy that only needs one or two dribbles, is not holding onto the ball for too long. He is either shooting or passing, within that one dribble. When Isaiah Thomas has the ball, we have seen Crowder's ability to shoot well off the catch, especially when Thomas garners a double-team. A skill that should not be overlooked, shooting the three has become an integral part of not only the Celtics offense, but the NBA as a whole, as shown with the contracts that Porter Jr. and Snell have gotten this past offseason.

What do you guys think? Does this skill help the Celtics as a whole? Or is just one of those advanced metric statistics we have become accustomed to?


Photo Credit: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
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