In December 2014 the Boston Celtics finally parted ways with long-time point guard Rajon Rondo. At the time, the deal seemed like it was perfect for both sides, the Mavericks get the elite point guard they were searching for, and Danny Ainge gets another selection of young assets and draft picks to build around.
The actual specifics of the deal were centred around Dallas receiving Rajon Rondo and rookie big man Dwight Powell, in return the Celtics would acquire Jae Crowder, Jameer Nelson, Brandan Wright, a 1st and 2nd round pick and a $12.9 million trade exception.
The Mavericks got a shell of the old championship Rondo for 46 games, a very public relationship breakdown between himself and head coach Rick Carlisle and a 2nd round pick who as a stretch-4 really struggled adjusting to the NBA 3-point line. Essentially what this deal comes down to when you remove all of the other moving pieces in Nelson and Brandan Wright, was Jae Crowder, a 1st and 2nd round pick and a huge trade exception for Dwight Powell.
Since moving to the TD Garden, Crowder has continually grown and developed on both ends of the floor and has established himself as an important cornerstone of the Celtics rebuild. This season, he’s averaging 14.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.8 steals and he’s posting a career-high in every single statistical category (except free throw shooting). At 45% from the field, 36% from beyond the arc and 82% from the free throw line, it wouldn’t be preposterous to imagine Crowder being a 50-40-90 player at some point in his career, especially if he continues to work on his shot and play a key role in Brad Stevens system. His numbers don’t quite jump off the page and scream All-Star. Crowder’s had a few 20 point games and a handful of double-doubles, but his real value manifests itself on the other end of the floor. Crowder is a multi-talented defensive player, being able to guard both pick and roll players, as well as switch out on the perimeter as either a wing or a small-ball power forward.
The Celtics are currently ranked 2nd in the league in defensive efficiency behind the San Antonio Spurs and 3rd in pace which is in large part to do with the fact they’re the 5th youngest team in the league, their oldest starter Amir Johnson is still only 28 years old. Jae Crowder is posting a very respectable 16.31 PER and is one of ten Boston players with a double-digit PER which equals the #1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers.
Its unlikely that Crowder will make the All-Star game this season. If any Celtics player is going to it’ll be Isaiah Thomas but if the Celtics were in a higher position in the East, Crowder would get real consideration and his 5 year $35 million contract is going to look like the bargain of the century next season when the cap soars above $90 million
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