Jamal Crawford to Become More of a Catch-and-Shoot Player


First, he killed “Lob City”. And now Jamal Crawford’s glorious crossover and freestyling will be muted. Damn you, Doc Rivers! Crawford says he’s going to focus on more of a catch-and-shoot game this season. Per the LA Times (via PBT): “One of the pleasures of watching Jamal Crawford perform on the court is seeing his ability to shake a defender with his deft crossover dribble to create an open shot. But with Clippers Coach Doc Rivers stressing fewer isolation plays, that will probably lead to Crawford having the ball in his hands less often. So expect to see Crawford come off more screens in Rivers’ system and then look for a pass. ‘As far as creating stuff, there’s still a place for that,’ Crawford said. ‘But I think it’ll be a more catch-and-shoot type of thing.’ Over his 13-year NBA career, Crawford has had the basketball in his hands ‘most of the time’ before he takes a shot. Now he has to change his mind-set. ‘It’s an adjustment,’ Crawford said. ‘But I’ll make the best out of it. [Rivers] has some really good stuff that I think will benefit everybody.’ Rivers already has been impressed by Crawford after just three days of training camp. ‘He’s terrific coming off the picks without the ball,’ Rivers said. ‘He really is good. He’s a catch-and-shoot guy as well, and I didn’t know that and now I know.’ Crawford has a career average of 15.4 points, mostly because he’s such a creative and crafty ballhandler. He has made 41.1% of his shots over his career and 35% of his three-pointers.”