Jazz's Crowder: 'I got back to having fun' following trade from Cavs
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