Jamal Crawford
Age: 36
Height: 6-foot-5
Career Stats: 30.9 mpg, 15.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.2 bpg; 41.0/34.9/86.1 shooting splits
2015-16 stats: 79 games, 26.9 mpg, 14.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.2 bpg; 40.4/34.0/90.4 shooting splits
Strengths:
- Explosive scorer off the bench
- Consistent free throw and three point shooter
- Veteran with over 60 games of playoff experience
Weaknesses:
- Poor assist/turnover ratio
- Weak perimeter defender despite length
- Can force bad shots to try to shoot through slumps
Why the Warriors make sense:
The Warriors have lacked a true scoring guard off the bench for several years now, and have struggled to back up Klay Thompson with a legitimate shooting guard. Crawford, who already had one 54-game stint with the Dubs in the 08-09 season and twice scored 50 points for Golden State, would fit in nicely with the Warriors’ second unit alongside Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala. Crawford could take a large scoring burden off the bench’s shoulders, while Livingston and Iguodala could take the defensive pressure off of him. ESPN’s Chris Broussard reported the Warriors have shown interest in Crawford.
Why the Warriors don’t make sense:
Crawford is a legitimate defensive liability, and would definitely put a dent in the defensive reputation of the Warriors’ second unit. In addition, the Clippers may be disillusioned by losing the former Sixth Man of the Year to a division rival and would therefore overpay to retain his services. In this season’s overpaid market, the Dubs would need to be careful on the amount of years they offer the aging vet who has missed a decent amount of time in the past few years.
