Something wasn’t working out with Jae Crowder in Cleveland. I don’t know what it was, because my basketball-analysis capability is roughly equivalent to that of a well-trained horse, but it couldn’t be denied: Crowder and the Celtics weren’t on the same page. Stats-wise, percentages-wise, he’s not actually doing better on the Jazz. Surprising, I know. But his point totals are higher, and there aren’t nearly as many expectations this go-round, so it just feels way better, you know?
This is his first 20-point game of the season. He had 10 of them last season, but oh yeah, he also had 1 Brad Stevens, so obviously expectations were going to have to change. All those Cavaliers fans who thought they were getting someone good totally forgot about the Tyronn Lue factor, and the “LeBron gets to do whatever he wants” factor.
If the Jazz makes the playoffs, it will probably be a little bit because of him. Unlike on the Cavaliers, where playoffs-acquisition was solely on the shoulders of one player. So that’s nice.