Jae Croder is just as valuable a defender as he is a three-point shooter.
When Pat Riley and the Miami Heat front office brought in veteran wings Jae Crowder and Andre Iguodala, they weren’t expecting either to be contributors on both ends of the ball. The former was brought in as an offensive punch, with the latter acquired for his defensive IQ.
Instead, Crowder has become one of the best three-point shooters inside the bubble, and an ardent defensive presence. He’s made his way into the starting lineup by contributing to an already potent Heat offense, but also by maintaining grit and intensity on the defensive end.
Like Adebayo, Crowder was apart of Miami’s call to arms in the third quarter, supplying effort and vigor. And they needed it, with the Celtics firing on all cylinders, connecting on 58.1 percent of their field-goal attempts and 38 percent of their shots from deep in the first half.
Crowder, among others, provided the defensive push Miami needed so badly in the second half. Boston’s shooting average from the field dropped to 38 percent over the last two quarters.
It wasn’t his best shooting night, but he finished with14 points, four rebounds, three steals, and two assists. With Gordon Hayward reported as likely to make his series debut in Game 3, Crowder’s defense will prove critical moving forward if the Heat are to continue their playoff run.