Ahead Of Boston Return, Jae Crowder Draws High Praise From Brad Stevens

BOSTON — Boston head coach Brad Stevens has fond memories of former Celtic and current Memphis Grizzlies forward Jae Crowder.

Crowder, who spent just shy of three seasons in Boston, was an influential piece on some of Stevens’ first Celtics teams.

The 29-year-old is set to return to TD Garden on Wednesday. Ahead of the game, Stevens shared some appreciation for Crowder and his time in Boston.

“I just think Jae’s a winner, he impacts winning everywhere he’s been,” Stevens said. “I don’t know how many guys have been the number of places that he’s played and every one of them goes to the playoffs, regardless of what preseason expectations are. He just impacts winning. And he cares about it, plays both ends of the court.”

Crowder was a crucial part of the 2016-17 Celtics that reached the Eastern Conference final before falling to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was part of the 2017 trade with the Cavs that sent Kyrie Irving to Boston, and also made a stop in Utah prior to landing with Memphis this year.

“He was one of our first guys that we had, or one during that first couple years that I was here, that could play a number of different positions, could guard a number of different positions and just was very comfortable with adding value to winning,” Stevens said.

“I’ve always really appreciated Jae. It’s been fun to watch from afar since he’s left,” Stevens added. “He’s not a fun guy to prepare to play against. He’s a good player.”

The Celtics and Grizzles will tip off at 7:30.