Cavaliers' Jae Crowder: Posts 17 in preseason loss
Crowder tallied 17 points (6-9 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 2-4 FT), six rebounds and two assists across 21 minutes in Friday's 106-102 loss to the Pacers.
The former Celtic's new role in Cleveland begins as placeholder for LeBron James, and it's widely assumed he'll fill in elsewhere once King James plays full-time in the regular season. Crowder's elite defensive play makes him invaluable, but what is most understated about him is his scoring ability, something largely overlooked in Cleveland. He displayed that offensive mettle on Friday, shooting 67 percent from the floor with nine of his seventeen points coming from beyond the arc. While his place in Cleveland's second unit lessens his fantasy value, he's too talented to stay on the bench. A wait-and-see approach is best moving forward with Crowder in terms of playing time, but he's warrants consideration late in most fantasy drafts.