Jordan Crawford maturing as a player but future with Washington Wizards remains uncertain: NBA Update
Jordan Crawford’s future with Washington Wizards is still under a cloud of uncertainty. After a brief dip in form, the player has been putting tremendous performances off late. It is however still not clear what
the Wizards have planned for him in the long-term.
Jordan meanwhile is being simply himself - aggressive. He doesn’t shy away from taking the big shots (though most of them end in vain) but manages some anyway.
“A lot of people criticize him for taking bad shots, but that's just the type of player he is," teammate John Wall said. "Some of his shots is going to be bad, but he makes those tough shots, and that's how his
game is. With him being a scorer like that, we really need that with our offense right now."
With each passing game the question looms large that what does his 14.7 points and 3.0 assists average per game means to the franchise. If the administration is looking for a wiser Crawford then his future is
in danger as he is doing the exactly what he used to do during his rookie year.
But they can’t undermine the significance of his so called bad shots at the death. Fine, he takes risk but that risk is worth taking when the shot clock is expiring and the team needs those long 2’s , or 3 points
to win.
His shooting did come in handy on Tuesday. In the 2nd half against Orlando Magic he acted as a booster from the bench as Washington clawed off the 13 point 1st stanza
deficit. The 23 years old came up with 4 back to back field goals allowing Wizards to pull a 51-50 lead at the break.
He collected 21 points in the game and powered his team to a 93-85 win. It was also his 2nd straight game with 20 or more points.
His performance compelled Coach Randy Wittman to lavish him with praise.
“I don't know if Jordan ever lost his rhythm,” Wizards Coach Randy Wittman said. “He just didn’t make shots. Jordan’s a very confident individual as you probably well know. He’s not going to ever back down. I
don’t really have to worry about Jordan getting shots up. It’s just make sure it’s the right shots.”
He is shooting a little over 40% in contrast to 39% last year; a little but marked improvement for a player like Jordan. Washington can’t overlook his gradual improvement and should give him some more time to
acclimatize to the needs of the team.
With Nick Young now gone to the Los Angeles Clipper, Jordan is in a position to stake the claim for being the starting shooting guard. However the Wizards are rumoured to be looking at other options and could
even bring somebody in through the NBA Draft 2012. This could lead to Jordan getting lesser minutes on the court and eventually being squeezed out of the team.
Tags: