Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue promised a shakeup to the team’s lineup after their 114-102 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday.
He reportedly made the changes Thursday, and Jae Crowder was the chief casualty.
Crowder, who the Cavs acquired from the Boston Celtics in the Kyrie Irving trade, has started 43 games for Cleveland this season, which has been arguably the worst of his six-year career. And if Crowder is to eventually turn things around, he’ll have to do it while coming off the bench, The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd reported Thursday.
Ty Lue says Tristan Thompson will start at center, Kevin Love goes back to the 4 and Jae Crowder will come off the bench.
— Jason Lloyd (@ByJasonLloyd) January 25, 2018
This is surely a tough pill to swallow for Crowder. But the move probably is justified given he’s averaging just 8.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.
The Cavs are in the midst of a brutal stretch, having lost two straight and seven of their last 10 overall. Cleveland currently sits in third place in the Eastern Conference, 6 1/2 games behind the first-place Celtics.
