Tuesday, August 4 - Celtics at Heat
Pregame – Crowder Playing Power Forward for Miami
BOSTON – The Celtics will get an up-close look tonight at their secret weapon from a few years ago: Jae Crowder at the power forward.
Crowder, a 6-foot-6 wing who has mainly played small forward throughout his NBA career, is now starting at power forward for the Miami Heat. The decision signifies a dramatic shift in Miami’s philosophy this season.
“They’ve started big all year, but now, since they’ve been in the bubble, they’re starting Crowder at the 4 and (Bam) Adebayo at the 5,” Brad Stevens said before tip-off. “So they’re a different team than we’ve played.”
The presence of Crowder, whom the Heat acquired in early-February along with Andre Iguodala, has allowed the team to do so. He is a strong, smart and versatile player – a skill set that started to become known around the league during his two-plus seasons with the Celtics.
“It’s a little different now,” Stevens said of Crowder playing power forward for Miami compared to his days in Boston. “He’s got more length around him than when he played the 4 for us. And that was also a time when the NBA still had more traditional 4s out there, so he really had to battle in the interior.”
Such is not the case nowadays, and the Celtics are a prime example. Boston does not start a traditional power forward – nor does it have one on its roster who plays the position. The C’s opt instead to use a long list of interchangeable wings such as Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward.
Crowder is certainly long enough and strong enough to compete with those players either on the interior or on the perimeter. He’s a versatile player who usually impacts the game in a positive way, as Stevens mentioned.
“He’s a good player, and he’s a winner, and he adds to winning,” Stevens said, after pointing out that Crowder has drilled seven 3-pointers through two games inside the bubble. “Obviously, Miami already probably targeted him and figured that out.”
Stevens and the Celtics are already well aware of Crowder’s impact, particularly at the power forward position. Crowder was a key piece of Boston’s turnaround from lottery team to Eastern Conference Finalist back in 2017.
Tonight, he’ll be the small-ball power forward who will face off against Boston’s long list of talented and interchangeable wings.
- Marc D'Amico