One of the main reasons why the Los Angeles Clippers fell short in this year’s NBA postseason was their lack of depth. One of their key bench players, Jamal Crawford, was awful throughout this year’s regular season and playoffs. In the coming weeks, the Clippers will have a tough decision to make regarding Crawford’s $5.6 million player option. With a lack of other options and limited roster flexibility, Los Angeles has no other option but to retain the veteran shooter for one more season.
As has been the case for a majority of his career, Crawford’s shooting inefficiencies were on full display this season. He shot an abysmal 32.7 percent from behind the arc while taking 5.7 three-pointers per game. Even worse, Crawford attempted the highest volume of three-point field goals he has ever tallied, shooting 7.7 threes per 36 minutes. Crawford did not only struggle from three-point range, as he shot 39.6 percent from the field. This marked the fifth time in his career that he failed to eclipse 40 percent. For qualified players, Crawford’s 53.2 true shooting percentage ranked 176th out of 366 players.
Because of Crawford’s ineptitude on the defensive end, he is nearly unplayable if he is not making shots, as was clearly the case during much of this season. The Clippers’ defense ranked seventh-worse in the playoffs this season with a defensive rating of 105.3. In the regular season, Los Angeles was middle of the pack with a defensive rating of 103.0. Obviously, some of these defensive troubles can be attributed to Crawford and his poor effort and awareness on that end of the floor.
Despite Crawford’s lack of effectiveness, the Clippers do not have many other options. Due to Doc Rivers‘ questionable moves as general manager, the team has very few capable role players on the roster. Even without Crawford’s team option being taken into consideration, Los Angeles’ salary number stands at almost $60 million. That is also without taking DeAndre Jordan‘s impending max contract on the books as well. In a perfect world, the Clippers would part ways with Crawford, but with their salary situation as it stands, they must exercise Crawford’s option.
Nicholas Sciria is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Nick_Sciria, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.