We have now hit August 21st in the NBA off-season and Jamal Crawford is still a free agent. In an off-season that has seen many different paydays for NBA players, Crawford has been rather silent. He hasn’t been signed by a team, which is surprising considering how good he is off the bench.
The 19-year veteran is a holder of a few records and accomplishments in his NBA tenure. In 19 seasons, he has been with seven different franchises. Crawford has won three six man of the year awards (2010, 2014, 2016). He is also the oldest player in NBA history to ever record a 50+ point game.
Crawford accomplished that record this past season with the Phoenix Suns at 39 years of age. He has the highest point total for a bench player accomplished on that same night. Crawford also has scored 50+ points for four different franchises, which is an NBA record.
The 39-year-old Crawford has seen a slow decline in scoring in his last six seasons. In just under 19 minutes per game last season he scored 7.9 points per game. His shooting splits were 40/33/85 which means he shot 40% from the field, 33% from three and 85% from the free throw line.
Mind you this is for a young and rebuilding team in the Suns. Crawford will be entering his 20th season this season and still has quite a bit of youth left in those veteran legs. Per 36 minutes with the Suns, Crawford recorded a stat-line of 15.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists (his highest of his career per 36 minutes).
The Suns have been a team in rebuild for quite a few years now. They have added veteran presences to the locker room to try and help shape the younger guys they have been collecting over the years. Crawford was brought in to help the development of the Suns young guys. With that role, came less playing time and more coaching then anything.
Crawford was used in a reserve role, until the latter of the season where much of his playing time in the final games for the Suns. In the 2018-19 NBA season, Crawford played over 25 minutes just 12 times. In those 12 games he score 25 or more three times and of course had over 50 once. He averaged 18.8 points per game, 6.8 assists per game and 2.4 rebounds in around 28 minutes a game.
His statistics may have been down on a Suns team that finished just 19-63 last season, but if it wasn’t for a decrease in minutes, Crawford’s statistics would have been on par with some of his best seasons. Besides from the 2000-01 season, Crawford’s rookie year, he averaged his lowest amount of minutes in the 2018-19 season.
Of course with fewer minutes became less scoring opportunities. In his 18.9 minutes on average, he took 6.8 shots or a shot every three minutes. If we compare to his rookie season, 17.2 minutes per game and 5 total shots on average in those minutes. It’s almost the same average of shots per minute with similar production.
If we want a couple people to compare statistics too, we can look at someone like Vince Carter. Carter has come out and said that this upcoming season will be his last. In the 2018-19 season, Carter played 17.5 minutes a game. In those minutes he averaged 7.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. His splits consisted of 42/39/71.
Carter at 42 years of age plays Small Forward/ Shooting Guard and has received a contract before Crawford. The difference in statistics? Less points and assists per game as well as worse free throw shooting. Slightly better shooting from the field and much better shooting from three and a few more rebounds per game. Crawford is three years younger and is proven to be more of a role player in recent years than Carter.
Crawford is what the NBA likes to call a volume scorer. He can score in bunches and he can score against almost anyone, but he just needs his opportunity to do so. With many teams in the NBA still searching for scoring as well as shooting, Crawford is sitting on the sidelines just waiting for someone to send him in. You don’t play 19 years in the NBA without having talent and Crawford can help any title contender make a deep run this season.
