Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Spor
Now’s not the time for Jamal Crawford to be in a shooting slump.
It’s not that Crawford isn’t scoring. He is hitting some baskets for the Los Angeles Clippers, but with the playoffs coming up, now’s the time to have a hot shooting touch, not a cold one. It appears Crawford’s is slightly cool right now.
Crawford is shooting 43.6 percent from the floor for the season and 37 percent from the 3-point arc. But, he’s 11-of-35 from the floor his last three NBA games and 7-of-18 in 3-pointers. Those aren’t Crawford-like shooting figures, and he needs to pick it up for his team’s sake immediately.
Crawford was 2-of-7 a week ago against the Memphis Grizzlies and scored nine points. He was 5-of-16 against the New Orleans Hornets and scored 15 points. He was 4-of-12 from the floor against the Minnesota Timberwolves and had 11 points, along with eight turnovers in those three games and eight assists.
Crawford, if he gets hot, can help the Clippers have a fun playoff run. He’s had a good season, averaging 16.5 points and 2.5 assists per game, and remains excellent in free-throw shooting at 87.1 percent. He’s averaging almost a full point more per game this season than he has in his entire career. His shooting this season is also slightly better than his career mark.
But it’s not just defense that wins playoff games. Teams shooting well usually clean up, and Crawford is a key player for the Clippers in their hopes of having an unstoppable offense. He needs to get the job done.
