Crowder starts, increases Kings winning hours after contract signing originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
In less than 24 hours, Jae Crowder went from an NBA free agent to a starting player for the Kings.
And what a memorable Kings debut it was for the veteran forward in Sacramento’s cathartic 115-104 road victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday night at Target Center.
Crowder finished with eight points, four rebounds and a steal, although it was his late-game defensive play on Minnesota forward Julius Randle that earned the proven veteran the Kings’ Defensive Player of the Game nod.
But perhaps even more impressive was the 34-year-old’s ability to get on the court at such short notice.
According to coach Mike Brown, Crowder landed in Minnesota at 11 p.m. Tuesday night but was not cleared to sign his Kings contract or play until three hours before tipoff because he had to undergo a series of physical tests and team-oriented meetings beforehand. The veteran even missed the pregame shootaround.
“I had a physical exam and I probably came in 20 minutes late this morning,” Crowder told reporters.
“Coach Mike introduced me and then we set up the matchups. I saw my name and I thought, ‘Holy crap. I’m in the fire.’ I was so ready to go home and take my nap, get my routine going.
“I didn’t know if I was going to play tonight, but once I walked into that meeting room with the guys, I saw my name. I thought, ‘Okay, it’s here.’ So I just prepared and tried to get my mind where it needs to be.
Crowder, selected 34th overall in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, is in his 12th season and the Kings are his ninth team.
He is the epitome of a competitive veteran with proven play-off experience – reasons why Brown and Co. signed him after Trey Lyles’ calf injury.
“Jae has been around for a long time,” Brown said. “He’s been in the league [for] 12 years. He’s been in the playoffs 11 years in a row, so he knows what it takes to win.”
Crowder’s undeniable defensive skills shouldn’t be overlooked either.
“Not only that, he’s a grown man, and he can guard 4s, he can guard 5s,” Brown continued. “And if someone starts working in that field, he will not back down. He’s going to fight even harder.
“Again, you saw it tonight: You’re not going to stop Julius Randle, but you have to fight him. And if he respects you – Julius, I say – you might have a chance. And we thought that starting a game with Jae would be different for him than having a young guy next to him right away.
On the court, the Kings survived a third-quarter meltdown to bounce back after falling by double digits in the fourth quarter, snapping their four-game losing streak.
Sacramento benefited largely from De’Aaron Fox, who finished with 26 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and Domantas Sabonis, who had 27 points and 12 rebounds despite getting fouled in the third quarter.
Malik Monk, who praised Crowder’s veteran leadership after the game, scored a season-high 27 off the bench, including 11 in the fourth quarter.
“He’s just a vet, man,” Monk said of Crowder’s postgame. ‘A vet, a great vet, [who] knows how to play the game. I think he missed the playoffs one year in his 12 years in the league.
“Like I said, he just knows what to do on offense and defense. And [he’s] just a great vet voice.”
Under the guidance of Dirk Nowitski, Vince Carter, Shawn Marion and Elton Brand, Crowder categorizes himself as a serial winner.
“Like I tell the guys, I really enjoy winning,” Crowder added. “I’m obsessed with it. I really enjoy winning.
“I love the process of winning. You can’t skip steps in winning, and I enjoy it. It’s hard, but this feeling we have, winning, is what you chase and what you are suited for.
“And that’s my message to the guys: We’re going to play winning basketball – we’re not going to win every game, but if we play winning basketball, you’re going to win more than you lose. And that’s what it’s all about. That’s my message to the boys.”
On such short notice and with very little preparation, Crowder proved that on Wednesday night – and the Kings can certainly only be grateful for his arrival.
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