BOSTON — Exactly one year ago Friday, the Boston Celtics shipped their best player to the Dallas Mavericks.
Head coach Brad Stevens admits he didn’t know much about who the Celtics were getting in return.
The haul for All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo in that Dec. 18, 2014, trade included Jameer Nelson, Brandan Wright, a pair of draft picks and a little-known swingman named Jae Crowder. Nelson and Wright both are gone, but Crowder has found a home in Boston, even if Stevens wasn’t too well-versed on the Georgia native’s bio.
“I knew he shot 34 percent from the corner three,” Stevens said of Crowder before Friday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks. “I knew people had told me they thought he could be a pretty good player. I knew he was tough when he played at Marquette. And I knew nothing else. So, I’m really happy he was included in that trade.”
With good reason. Crowder has developed into one of Boston’s more consistent two-way players and is the only Celtic who’s started every game for the club this season.
A tenacious defender, Crowder is averaging 1.96 steals per game, ninth-best in the NBA. But his greatest improvement has come on the other end of the court, where he’s shooting a career-high 36 percent from 3-point range and averaging 12.4 points per game entering Friday.
DEC 18TH LAST YR I BECAME A CELTIC…. HAVENT LOOKED BACK SINCE.! #BLESSED #99PROBLEMS #CELTICSNATION
— JAE CROWDER (@CJC9BOSS) December 18, 2015
It’s safe to say Crowder has been a pleasant surprise for many in Boston, including his head coach.
“I didn’t know that he could do all that he could do,” Stevens said. “When we played (the) New Orleans (Pelicans) last (season) and he had that 22-point game, and we won that game at home when we were really reeling. … We started to see, like, hey, there’s a guy that can do a little bit more than stand in the corner and shoot. He can drive it a little bit, he can pass, we know he’s a competitor, and being able to guard all those positions is just huge.”
The Celtics certainly lost an elite talent in Rondo, who is having his ups and downs with the Sacramento Kings. But even when the team has struggled — they’ve lost two straight and three of their last four — Stevens insists he likes his squad as it’s currently constructed.
“I know we traded a very impactful player here for a lot of years,” Stevens said. “But I think that I feel good about, even after a couple of games lost in a row, when I’m not feeling as good about life, I feel really good about our progress that has been made regardless.”
Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images
