Suns’ Crowder mentors Jalen Smith
Jae Crowder was talking, teaching and encouraging Jalen Smith while putting in work himself during a shooting drill after Monday’s practice.
“He’s taken on this role with Jalen,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “He understands where Jalen is and we’ve told Jalen, if you want to be a really good player, watch Jae. Watch how he works. Watch him talk. Watch his footwork. Those are things that we feel like can help Jalen grow as a player.”
All part of being a veteran leader for Crowder.
“I’m his teammate, I’m his brother and that’s my job,” Crowder said. “To help him get to where he needs to.”
Williams used this job shadow approach in his one season as an assistant in Philadelphia when having then rookie and now Suns guard Landry Shamet work with J.J. Redick, who announced his retirement last month after playing 15 NBA seasons.
“He’s going to help you become a much better guard than I could, ever,” Williams said. “And I think when you have players like that. I saw (Devin Booker) working with Landry (on Monday). Those guys are showing leadership in different ways, but I think it’s really going to help Jalen progress as a player.”
Improving his footwork is one way Smith, who has a shooting form that looks more like a guard than a 6-10 player, can progress in the NBA.
“Once you get to this level, like, it’s a game of inches,” Williams said. “I know for me when I first got into the league, like, everything was so fast. Once I saw the really good players, how they dialed in what you thought was a small thing like footwork, you’re 1-2 step in to a shot.”
During the shooting drill, Crowder was yelling out “feet, feet,” to remind Smith the importance of footwork.
“In college and in high school, it
didn’t matter,” Williams continued. “You jumped six, seven inches higher than everybody else so it didn’t matter. In the league where it’s really close, especially at the wing spot as far as talent, athleticism, your footwork, having your hands ready. You hands being (below the waist) and your hands being here (above the waist) for the difference, that’s the inches you need to get that shot off cleanly and the really good players do it every single time.”
In his 10th season, Crowder, 31, has established himself as an NBA veteran who has played in eight consecutive postseasons with the final two playoff runs ending in the finals with Miami (2020) and Phoenix (2021).
Now he’s in his second season with the Suns looking to help Smith, 21, find his way, as the 10th overall pick in the 2020 draft has hardly played for the Suns.
“He does a great job of just telling me what he sees and what he feels,” Crowder said about Smith. “What he wants to add to his game and how he wants to try to get on the court. I’m just trying to help. Be a big brother. Be a good teammate. Help my brother out.”
Smith saw his first action in Saturday’s 134-105 defeat at Portland when Williams cleared the bench early in the fourth quarter of a lopsided loss.
With Dario Saric expected to miss most, if not all, the regular season and perhaps longer recovering from knee surgery from a torn ACL suffered in Game 1 of the finals, Smith was looking to find meaningful minutes this season.
Smith played in the preseason, but has yet to find quality action early in the regular season. Crowder is trying to help Smith grow and improve so that he can play when the game is in the balance.
“Young player,” Crowder said. “Having a great head on his shoulders. Listens. No attitudes. I can work with that. Anybody can work with that. You come to work like that. No attitude. Just come to work. It’s no coincidence that you saw us working and we have a lot of conversations on and off the court.”