Jae Crowder scored a career-high 22 points in the Boston Celtics‘ 108-100 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night. His impressive performance provides a glimpse of hope that Boston received a decent player out of trading Rajon Rondo, which brought Crowder, Jameer Nelson and Brandan Wright to town.
Most Celtics fans groaned when they saw the return for their All-Star point guard. All three of the players were expected to be traded at some point, just as Wright was recently.
Crowder may be a player who Danny Ainge would consider keeping on the roster. After two relatively disappointing seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, he now has a chance to prove himself on a young, starless Celtics team. If he continues to improve, he presents tremendous value and could very well be a permanent piece of the Celtics’ rebuilding process.
Not only did Crowder score, he played aggressively on defense with two blocks and four steals on the night. He was aggressive early and shot efficiently at 9-of-14 from the field. With the recently traded Jeff Green out of the starting lineup, Crowder will be getting the starts for now. Being the gritty, hard-nosed player that he is, he could make for a great Celtics mainstay down the line, when the team is finally ready to compete in the Eastern Conference again.
Kevin McHugh is a Boston Celtics writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @MchughintheBean or add him to your network on Google.
Professional sports has a long history of mental health related tragedies, so Stephon Marbury should be celebrated for speaking out about his own struggles. Read More
The Toronto Raptors demonstrated the key to their winning ways during a run against the New Orleans Pelicans with stellar defense. Read More
Immaturity is a problem that haunts many 20 year olds, but when you're a professional athlete like Joel Embiid, immaturity can no longer be an excuse. Read More
The Toronto Raptors have not been playing with confidence, and have to step up immediately. Read More
Kobe Bryant has admitted to pondering early retirement as disappointments pile up on him and his Los Angeles Lakers. Read More
The San Antonio Spurs look to keep pace in the West as they host the Utah Jazz. How do these two teams matchup, and who will come out on top? Read More
Previewing and predicting the matchup between the New Orleans Pelicans and Toronto Raptors. Read More
The charismatic PG may have helped lead the Toronto Raptors to their first ever playoff berth, but that's not the reason why young fans know all about magical Muggsy Bogues. Read More
With the hopes of keeping their aging star preserved, the Los Angeles Lakers have restricted Kobe Bryant's playing time. That decision may end up being a successful one, both for Bryant. Read More
Looking back at the Los Angeles Lakers' winning bid to sign Carlos Boozer for the season. Read More
Looking back at the results of the Jeremy Lin trade halfway through the season. Read More
Why the recent injury to Kawhi Leonard, which forced him to miss 15 games, proved why he is worthy of a maximum-level contract extension this summer. Read More