NBA Rumors: Jamal Crawford Does Not Want To Leave The Los Angeles Clippers
NBA rumors have been swirling around Jamal Crawford. The 36-year-old shooting guard is set to become a free agent this summer. He is the best bench player in the National Basketball Association. Crawford won the Sixth Man of the Year award this season. There will be several teams looking for a talent like his to come off of their bench or possibly starting. According to FanSided, the former Michigan Wolverines star would prefer to stay with Los Angeles Clippers.
Jamal Crawford has been in the league for 16 years. He has spent a majority of his career coming off the bench. Crawford has been one of the best scoring sixth men in the NBA. He has won the Sixth Man of the Year award three times in his career. This season, he averaged 14.2 points, 2.3 assists, and 1.8 rebounds per game in 26.9 minutes of action. Crawford has proven that he can help a team win. He has stated that he knows his role and respect his role.
The Los Angeles Clippers this season have been one of the better teams in the NBA. A lot of people predicted that the Clippers have the potential to compete with the Golden State Warriors for the best in the Western Conference. That prediction never happened because of all the injuries and chemistry issues the team went through.
The Los Angeles Clippers went through multiple injuries this year. No Clipper appeared in all 82 games this season. Jamal Crawford and Wesley Johnson were the only two players to appear in at least 79 games. Blake Griffin missed a total 47 games because of different injuries and suspension. Chris Paul missed a total of eight games. JJ Redick missed seven games, and DeAndre Jordan missed five games. Paul and Griffin also suffered season-ending injuries during the NBA Playoffs, which led to their elimination in the first round.
Despite all the injuries and issues, the Los Angeles Clippers managed to finish the season with the fourth-best record in the Western Conference with 53 wins and 29 losses. They were the fourth seed in the NBA Playoffs. The Clippers were one of the few teams to be ranked in the top ten in the league in both offense and defensive ratings. The only other teams to do that in the National Basketball Association were the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs. That’s pretty good company to be in.
Last season, the Los Angeles Clippers’ biggest concern was the play of their bench. They finished in the bottom of the league in both points scored and points allowed. Team president and head coach Doc Rivers attempted to boost his bench by trading for Lance Stephenson. He also signed Josh Smith and Paul Pierce, who played for him on the Boston Celtics. Things didn’t work out for either Stephenson and Smith, and they were both traded away during the season. The Clippers traded Lance for small forward Jeff Green, and Smith was traded to the Houston Rockets. Both players were a bad fit the Clippers.
Even with all those moves, the Los Angeles Clippers bench managed to improve dramatically. The second unit of the Clippers was led by Jamal Crawford, who scored 14.2 points per game. They were seventh in points scored and number 12 in points allowed in the NBA. The bench played a key part in the success of the Clippers this season.
Jamal Crawford has played a big part in the Los Angeles Clippers success the past four years. He has won two of his three Sixth Man of the Year awards with the team. Crawford has expressed to the media that he would like to stay with the Clippers and help them win an NBA Championship.
[Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images]
