The biggest name remaining in free agency may be three-time Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford, but the Phoenix Suns should stay away.
Jamal Crawford has had a pretty successful NBA career. He’s been voted the league’s best bench player three times. He once averaged over 20 points per game for an entire season. And he’s lasted for 18 seasons with seven different teams.
He’s a veteran who can score points off the bench, which sounds pretty tempting. The Suns would benefit from adding a veteran contributor, and their bench could definitely use some scoring. By all accounts, he’s a terrific teammate. He’s also likely to sign for the room exception, which the Suns still have available to offer.
But Crawford isn’t what he used to be, and the team would be better off giving those minutes to a young guy like Davon Reed or finding a different free agent option. A quick look at Crawford’s production last season shows he doesn’t bring much to the table for a team like the Suns.
Crawford is a career 34.9 percent three point shooter, which is decent. But last year he shot just 33.1 percent on a whopping 9.5 attempts per 100 possessions. He’s known for jacking up bad shots, and that’s not what the Suns need.
He’s also an astoundingly bad defender. His career best Defensive Box Plus-Minus is -1.3. Let me say that again. His best defensive season was in 2003-04 when he was 1.3 points per 100 possessions worse than a league average defender. Last season his DBPM was -4.0.
Crawford isn’t a good rebounder or passer. His poor field goal percentage is a reflection of his poor shot selection. He doesn’t get a lot of steals or block a lot of shots. Last season, his net rating was a -12.0. He hasn’t posted a positive Offensive Box Plus-Minus since 2014-15.
Stats don’t tell all, but all these stats are telling the same thing, which says a lot. Whether it’s counting stats, percentages, or advanced metrics, everything points to Jamal Crawford having little left in the tank. And at 38, he’s only getting worse. The Phoenix Suns should stay away.