Jae Crowder wasn't having fun with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but he is now.
After being traded to the Utah Jazz hours before Thursday's deadline, the small forward had a strong debut Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers and suggested he prefers his new team.
"I got back to having fun playing basketball with a great group of guys," Crowder said in his walk-off interview after registering 15 points, five rebounds, three assists, and a steal off the bench in the 115-96 win in Portland.
Crowder, who broke out in almost three seasons with the Boston Celtics as a solid three-and-D player, struggled to replicate that success this year in Cleveland.
TEAM | G | M | FG% | 3FG% | REB | AST | STL | PTS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Celtics | 202 | 29.8 | 44.4 | 35.3 | 5.2 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 12.8 |
Cavaliers | 53 | 25.4 | 41.8 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 8.6 |
The 27-year-old forward expects to bounce back with the Jazz thanks to coach Quin Snyder's more structured system.
"We're playing off one another. Once I get better with these guys, it should be better," Crowder said following the team's ninth straight victory.
"We're playing free - Coach gives a lot of freedom to these guys, some structure but a lot of freedom, and I love it. I love playing within a system. It'll be fun."
The Cavs seem better off, too, as they blew out the Celtics 121-99 on Sunday in their first outing with their four new players.
- With h/t to Bleacher Report