Celtics' Crowder looks to be more agressive on offense

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BOSTON – There’s a high level of physicality that Jae Crowder brings to the court.

We’ve seen often with his defense.

If the preseason serves as an indicator of what’s to come, we’ll see it more with his offense in the form of him getting to the free throw line.

Along with shooting the ball better from 3-point range (Crowder shot a career-low 28.2 percent in 57 games with Boston last season), Crowder said he wants to be “more aggressive on the offense end” this season.

“Just not being a jump shooter,” he said. “Drive the ball as well.”

And it is that latter point – driving the ball – that has been a driving force in Crowder’s offensive success thus far in the preseason.

After Boston’s two wins in as many games against European teams Olimpia Milano and Real Madrid, Crowder led the Celtics with 5.5 free throw attempts per game.

One of Celtics coach Brad Stevens’ favorite sermons when it comes to how the game should be played centers around playing with “pace and space.”

That’s why we’ve seen Avery Bradley spend more time floating around the 3-point line in the corner in the preseason which forces defenses to play him honest and creates greater scoring opportunities for his teammates.

Having a player such as Bradley, who has proven to be one of the best corner 3-ball shooters in the NBA, allows others, such as Crowder, to have a less crowded path when it comes to attacking the rim.

Crowder has made a more conscious effort to dribble into the lane and either look to shoot, find a teammate or draw a foul.

And the opportunity to draw fouls is greater for Crowder than some of his teammates when the Celtics move the 6-foot-6 wing man to play some at power forward which routinely pits him against bigger, slower defenders.

Although he’s averaging just 8.5 points per game, Crowder’s offensive rating of 130.8 trails only David Lee (131.9) and Perry Jones (138.1).

In addition to getting to the line, Crowder is also finding teammates for easy scores while not turning the ball over which is evident by his assists to turnover ratio being a team-best 7-to-1.

It all adds up to a player who is poised to build upon the success he enjoyed as a Celtic and was rewarded for with a five-year, $35 million contract.

Crowder’s deal was an emphatic endorsement by the Celtics of what they think of him as a player and how they envision him continuing to improve while donning a Celtics jersey.

And while Crowder has shown the ability to impact the game in multiple ways at both ends of the floor, the one constant has been him staying aggressive.

We’ve seen it in how he defends some of the league’s top wing players, such as LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony.

Now, we’re seeing it with his ability to get into the lane and draw contact, hoping an increase in free throws will prove costly for Boston’s opponents this season.


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