Cliff-like descent, how long can the sun trust Claude?
In the summer of 2020, Paul had just settled in Phoenix, he called Jay Crowder who was idle at home, and like PJ Tucker that year, Claude was also impressed by paul's blueprint, and a few days later, he came to Phoenix with his family and signed a three-year, $29.1 million contract, and the following season, he worked with Paul to make this fishy team that had been scorned by countless fans a championship-level team.
Especially in the playoffs, while Paul showed his mid-range shooting skills, Crowder's three-pointer was also like Duan Yu's six-veined Excalibur, always able to exert its power at key moments, in the 6th game of the first round, he shot 9 of 6 three-pointers; in the 6th game of the Western Conference Finals, he hit 5 three-pointers; in the Finals, Crowder carried the Suns' outside line, 6 games, shooting 18 three-pointers, shooting 41%.
Not only does the offensive end contribute greatly, but on the defensive end, Crowder is even more dedicated, no matter where it is, it can play a good defensive effect, the data shows that in the less than 6-foot area, he can reduce the opponent's shooting rate by 3.9%, outside the three-point line, he can reduce the opponent's shooting rate by 2.0% (remember these numbers), it is no exaggeration to say that Crowder's help to the team is not much less than Paul, Booker.
But what about this season? From the beginning, Crowder's state was not good, in October, he could only average 7.6 points per game, shooting 31.7%, shooting 22.2% from three-point range, until the end of the season, Crowder's shooting rate did not reach 40%, and the three-point shooting rate was only 34.6%, considering his age, all the reservations in the regular season are understandable, not to mention that in this position, the young Cameron Johnson has gradually grown.
But now, the playoffs have begun, Crowder's state is still tepid, as the team's most important No. 4 rotation, he shoulders a heavy responsibility, not much lighter than Bridges, not only to seize the empty three-point opportunity, but also to help Ayton assist in the interior line, card position, scramble for rebounds, occasionally have to hold the ball transition, defense, but also to stare at the opponent's arrow figures, so Claude's play, it is easy to affect the Suns' overall attack and defense.
Look at how Crowder is doing right now, averaging just 8.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.1 steals, 37 percent from the field and 19.4 percent from three-point range in seven games.
Offensive end, although most of them are empty, but Crowder still can not hit those shots, and the pelicans' first round of competition, he accumulated 23 three-point shots, only hit 3 goals, Crowder's poor feel, but also allow the Pelicans to unscrupulously go to the bag to hold the ball, if it is not Paul 2 games 19 points, 1 game 14 of 14, the trend of this round of series, it is really difficult to say;
Defensively, Although Crowder is still very positive, but the effect is not as good as before, under his defense, the opponent's shooting rate will increase by 0.3% in the less than 6-foot area, and the shooting rate will increase by 9.0% outside the three-point line, where is still what defensive elite, it is almost a colander, his defensive Herbert Jones shot 2 of 3, Nance Jr. and Hayes, 5 of 5 and 2 of 2, vanderbilt, 11 shots, hit 6 goals, and Ingram, 6 of 12 from the outside...
The second round against the Lone Ranger, Crowder's state is still worrying, especially the defensive end, always being taken a step, shooting at the outside line, and not exerting too much pressure, under his defense, the opponent made 4 outside shots, hit 3 goals, in the second half of the game, Crowder made consecutive mistakes, almost let the Lone Ranger reverse, the entire starting lineup, only his plus-minus value is negative (-2).
The Suns are a team with a championship as the goal, so the requirements for Crowder will naturally be a little harsher, after all, it is the starting point, the first two rounds rely on the overall strength, may be able to go down, but the next game, the difficulty is greater than once, if he can't find the feeling of last season, the Sun is afraid that he will be frustrated again this time.