Jordan Crawford's Bad Season, By The Numbers

thanks for saving me the time! Pretty much exactly how I thought it would look…

was the fact that he started getting minutes in the middle of the season and was just fresher than the rest of the league’s players, who were run down by having played 40+ games at that point. (I wonder the same thing now about Jeremy Lin.)

This season Crawford didn’t have that advantage.

Last year, it was apparent that he did not have 3-point range but kept heaving them up from out there, and while he showed an OK mid-range jumper that was not the heart of his game. What turned heads were his wonderful moves around the basket that had Steve and Phil several times mention Earl Monroe. What I can’t understand this season is where that went. (Nor why he has the green light to shoot the 3.)

what my eyes tell me are simple. Crawford and Nick Young have been terrible. Just dreadful.

Crawford has no concept of what sorta shots he’s good at or should be taking sort of like Nick Young till Flip focused him on the sorta shots he needed to be taking.

its still funny though that Crawford gets almost 3 times the amount of assists that Nick Young gets in almost 10 less minutes of pt per game.

so if Crawford is having a horrendous year Nick’s is as bad or worse because he still refuses to pass and is shooting worse than last season.

these 2 are a big reason for the Wizards struggles.

I agree he’s been terrible, although until the Detroit relapse, he seemed to me to be playing better, and taking fewer bad shots, in the past couple of weeks.

I’m not unhappy he’s under contract (for a low number) for one more year. Let’s remember that the guy sat on the bench with ATL for most of his rookie year — he’s really only been on the floor for significant minutes for half a season or so. And unlike NY, he doesn’t look like a one-trick pony — he’s capable of doing a lot of things well.

David Thorpe, who I respect, recently wrote a column ranking the NBA sophomores, and had Crawford 13th, just behind Landry Fields. Here’s what he said:

“Crawford is a blur on the court, slowing down only long enough to shoot the ball, which he does lot. He may not be making many shots now, but he’s someone to keep an eye on. As the Wizards mature, his efficiency should grow, because when he learns to slow down and read, the game will become much easier for him.”

Maybe it will; maybe it won’t. Again, no denying he’s been mostly awful this year. But I don’t yet think he’s hopeless.

What happened? Normally players improve on their rookie season. Crawford seems to be going backwards.

1) Did the system change?
2) Did he develop bad habits this offseason?
3) Can he be salvaged?

Looking at those numbers, it seems he needs to put dramatic effort in improving his defense numbers. If he could get his defensive numbers up, I could see him warranting more playing time to work through his offensive troubles. Right now, I think he needs to play sparingly till he works his way out of the funk.

But this season he has been absolutely painful to watch. His shot selection is just dreadful. I am not saying we should trade him right now but I can’t see him playing here that long if he doesn’t show any significant improvement soon.

Interesting that Mike wrote this on a day when Crawford shot 9 for 16 and had 4 assists and 3 steals. Maybe all Jordan needs is for BF to post critical articles about him before every game.

By the way, I have to take issue with Mike’s statement that “what’s become clear is that Crawford, like many of the other players on the roster, has not been able to build on his rookie season.” What other second year players are we talking about? Wall? Booker? Seraphin? And if Mike didn’t mean our second year players, who is he referring to? I can’t imagine he believes that McGee or Young haven’t improved since their rookie seasons. In fact, the only player on a roster who has clearly regressed since his rookie season is Lewis and it took him about 10 years to start regressing. Odd comment by Mike.