Jamal Crawford is one of the best sixth men to ever play the game of basketball. Crawford won three Sixth Man of the Year awards during his career, and he has career averages of 14.6 PPG, 2.2 RPG, and 3.4 APG.
Though he never ended up winning a championship, there’s no doubt that many respected Jamal Crawford’s abilities on the basketball court. In fact, Gilbert Arenas once claimed that Jamal Crawford was individually better than Spurs legend Manu Ginobili.
“It’s hard to convince me that Ginobili is individually better than Jamal Crawford. We’ll look at their resumes and be like ‘Ginobili’s got 5 rings’. Who are you taking 1-on-1? ‘I’m gonna take Jamal’. So he’s the better player, right? That’s how I evaluate it. Manu was amazing in that structure, but when we talk about individual play, he’s not top-5 best sixth men of all time.”
Obviously, opinions differ on how good Jamal Crawford actually was as a player. What is not questioned was his ability to consistently contribute and find a role on a lot of different franchises in the league.
Jamal Crawford Shared His Experience With Some Young Hoopers
Most recently, a video of Jamal Crawford giving advice to young basketball players surfaced on Twitter. He claimed that making it in basketball isn’t always about getting “the bag”, but it’s more about knowing how to “play the game the right way”. It is clear that he wants the young players he’s training to focus on team play rather than always prioritizing on-ball moves.
"Y'all say the bag… But it's not about the bag all the time. You gotta know how to play the game the right way."@JCrossover sending a message to kids who want to make it in basketball 💯
(via @thecrawsover)pic.twitter.com/aHXF4TcW66
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 14, 2022
Y’all say the bag… I’m not bragging but I think I have a pretty decent sized bag.
But it’s not about the bag all the time. You gotta know how to play the game the right way. The more you can work with a team the longer you’ll play… You want it hard now or you want it hard later? Let’s have it hard now.
Jamal Crawford was obviously known for his ability to create his own shot in isolation and get buckets. However, it is clear that the guard understands that the game is not always about that and is more about excelling within a team framework.
Hopefully, we see these young kids follow this advice. Obviously, some individual excellence is required to win at a high level, but the majority of players need to focus on carving out a role in the league rather than working on moves they may not get to use often.
