The Sacramento Kings got an unexpected jolt in their much-needed victory on Wednesday night. What will the recently signed Jae Crowder bring to the struggling Kings?
Sacramento reshuffled its roster for the first time since acquiring Domontas Sabonis at the 2022 trade deadline this offseason. After missing the playoffs for the 17th time in the last 18 seasons despite posting their second straight winning season, Sacramento decided to bring in more offense. The Kings went from the top-rated team offensively in 2022-23 to 13th in 2023-24.
So, Sacramento worked out a three-team sign-and-trade deal for DeMar DeRozan. The Kings sent Harrison Barnes to San Antonio as part of the bigger deal.
However, Sacramento has gotten off to a slow start to the 2024-25 season. The Kings own a 9-10 record, marking their first losing record after 19 games for the first time in three seasons. They sit in 11th place in the tough Western conference, one game behind San Antonio and 2.5 games in back of sixth place Los Angeles Clippers.
The Kings’ biggest issue has been their bench. While the Kings have the sixth-best starting unit, their bench is ranked 28th in the league. Part of the reason the bench has been shaky is its depth and continuity.
Recently Added Veteran Forward Will Be Huge Addition To the Pacific Division Squad
Mike Brown has used 12 different starting lineups this year. The 54-year-old coach has only been able to trot his top unit out together 12 times, and they have gone 6-6 over this stretch. He won’t have DeRozan or Trey Lyles available against Portland on November 29.
DeRozan will miss his second straight game with a back issue and fifth contest of the season. Meanwhile, Lyles has a Grade 1 right calf strain and won’t be reevaluated for three to four weeks.
The loss of Lyles severely hampers Sacramento’s frontcourt depth. With Lyles and DeRozan both out for a second straight game, Crowder, Isaac Jones, Doug McDermott, and perhaps Alex Len is in line to see an increase in minutes.
Another problem for Sacramento has been leadership, according to Malik Monk. Monk recently told Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee that the team’s veterans need to speak up, specifically mentioning De’Aaron Fox, DeRozan, and Sabonis.
“I feel like we’ve got a veteran team now with a few young guys, so we know how to turn it around. Domas is going to say a few things, I’m going to say a few things, Fox will say a few things and DeMar will say a few things. We’ve got to turn it around quick, though.”
Jae Crowder Signing and What He Brings
With long-term injuries, mainly to Lyles and 2024 first-round pick Devin Carter, and an open roster spot, the Kings decided to sign Crowder on Wednesday. Crowder’s deal is nonguaranteed for one year and $2. 92 million this year.
However, Crowder’s deal will only cost Sacramento $1.64 million against the salary cap. That is important for the Kings, as they were $3.7 million below the luxury cap prior to signing Crowder, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Thus, it maintains some flexibility for the Kings, who will likely not remain below the tax line unless they know they are surefire contenders. McDermott and Orlando Robinson are also on nonguaranteed deals through January 1010, when all contracts become guaranteed.
Despite officially signing early in the day, Brown inserted Crowder into the starting lineup on Wednesday against Minnesota. And the 13-year veteran paid immediate dividends in the Kings’ 115-104 victory. The win snapped the Kings season-long four-game skid.
Crowder scored eight points on 3 of 5 shooting, including 2 of 4 from beyond the arc, in 27 minutes against the Wolves. The 34-year-old grabbed four rebounds (two offensive), came away with one steal, and registered a +16 plus/minus rating.
“He knows what it takes to win,” Brown told Chris Biderman of the Sacramento Bee. “Not only that, he’s a grown a– man, and he can guard fours, he can guard fives. If somebody gets going that’s in that realm, he isn’t going to back down. He’s going to fight that much harder. You saw it tonight. You’re not going to stop Julius Randle, but you got to fight him.”
What Will Crowder’s Role Be
As Brown said, the first thing to say about Crowder is that he is a winner. Crowder has been in the playoffs in 11 of his first 12 years, helping his team reach the NBA finals twice and the conference finals once.
On the court, Crowder is best known as a highly energized, tough-nosed, versatile defender. He can guard all three frontcourt positions, though he is at his best guarding opponents where he can use his physicality.
Crowder did a phenomenal defensive job against Minnesota. He held his opponents to eight points on 2 of 8 shooting, including 0 of 5 from the 3-point line. However, three of the four fouls that Crowder committed were shooting.
Specifically, Randle scored just two of his 21 points in the 17 possessions Crowder was the main defender on. Crowder also held Naz Reid to two points in 17 possessions. Overall, he limited Randle, Reid, and Rudy Gobert to four points on 1 of 6 shooting while the Timberwolves averaged less than one point (40) per these 41 possessions.
Crowder is also an average defensive rebounder for a guy his size. Offensively, Crowder is a willing passer and doesn’t turn the ball over much.
However, Crowder is extremely inefficient. He spends most of his time on the perimeter despite being an average 3-point shooter at best. Crowder averages 1.5 treys on 4.4 attempts for his career. He also doesn’t finish at the rim tonight or get to the free-throw line.
While Crowder will remain in the starting lineup, at least until DeRozan returns, he was mainly signed to be the first frontcourt off the bench. The Kings’ bench has been outscored an average of 0.2 points a game, though it has been much worse recently. Over the last three games, the Kings reserves have been outscored 101-69. It would have been much worse if Monk had not nearly outscored the Timberwolves himself (27-29).
