Jae Crowder is the Bossman

With Derrick Favors dealing with a sore knee before the game against the Dallas Mavericks, the Utah Jazz needed a replacement starter. Instead they found a boss, Jae Crowder.

Crowder came into the lineup and the Jazz rolled to a quick lead in the first quarter. Lanes opened and pick and roles for Rudy Gobert appeared easier. After turning his ankle at the end of the game, it looks like Crowder is going to be okay. This is great for the Jazz because a timetable isn’t clear for Favors. And who knows how often he may have to sit during the season.

This is great for the Jazz because a timetable isn’t clear for Favors return. And he may have to sit multiple times during the season.

Having Crowder to fill in at the power forward is more than just a luxury, it’s an improvement.

According to NBA.com the lineup of Ricky Rubio, Donovan Mitchell, Joe Ingles, Jae Crowder and Rudy Gobert has the 3rd best net rating in the league at 25.1.

A quick glance at his numbers shows he’s producing above his career averages with 12.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists. And while his 3pt% needs to improve (currently 29%), he’s hitting a career high 59% of his 2pt shots. This is a big part of him having his second highest career true shooting percentage of 57%.

Considering Crowder is a career 34% 3pt shooter, that true shooting percentage should hold as his 2pt and 3pt percentages regress towards the mean.

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But beyond numbers, Crowder has been an unsung hero for the Jazz toughness and culture. With a large amount of young players on the team, Crowder’s willingness to stand up for his guys has been a welcome sight.

Consider you’re a young Donovan Mitchell, Dante Exum or Royce O’neale and you have a an opposing player like Russell Westbrook or Draymond Green trying to show you up. If there is even a sniff of a scuffle, Crowder is there. For a young player, knowing they have a Jae Crowder, that lets them player without fear. Swagger even.

I can’t help but remember this scene from the Avengers and Iron Man’s confidence because of the Hulk.

Because of Crowder, the Jazz have a toughness and fearlessness that is serving them well. There’s no moment too big, as we saw in the Oklahoma City series.

The Jazz refused to back down then, and they won’t anytime soon. And that’s because they have a Bossman!

This song shared by Dave Fox about Donovan Mitchell is fantastic!

Spida is an amazing nickname for so many reasons, but mainly because it’s so versatile and can be used for fun things like this.

The Utah Jazz have been running a #jazzolantern giveaway and it’s been a lot of fun. A lot of incredible Jazz pumpkin artists have come out. Here’s a few of my favorites.

The Utah Jazz released a yearbook for the 2017/18 season and it looks amazing.

There are 500 copies individually numbered and it costs $150. That’s a pretty cool collectors item to commemorate a season I personally will never forget.

Aaron Falk wrote about what junk foods are hard for players to give up and it’s a lot of fun.

I especially enjoyed the video that went with the piece.

If you were a Jazz player, what junk foods would be hardest for you to give up?