ALLEN CLICK
Crabbe’s upside fits ‘nicely’ with Nets
On Thursday morning, more than a year after first trying to sign Allen Crabbe, the Nets introduced him at their practice facility in Brooklyn.
Last summer, in the madness after the salary-cap spike, the Nets tried to get Crabbe — then a restricted free agent — on a four-year, $75 million deal, which was matched by the Trail Blazers. Last week, they sent Andrew Nicholson to Portland in return for Crabbe.
“I’m a year late, but better late than never,” Crabbe said Thursday.
The 25-year-old shooting guard was surprised the Trail Blazers would get rid of him so soon after signing the deal.
“Honestly, I didn’t even know that [a trade] was still in the works or that it was still a topic of discussion,” he said. “I got back on Monday from Miami, I’m in baggage claim, and I get a call from my agent, and he tells me that it’s still a possibility that [a trade] could happen. Then Tuesday morning, I got the news.”
Last season, Crabbe was starved for scoring chances in Portland, playing with Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. He played 28.5 minutes per game in a reserve role, with most of his shots coming off the catch from 3-point range, where he shot 44.4 percent.
Nets general manager Sean Marks said that would change in Brooklyn.
“I think his role will expand here,” Marks said. “I’m excited to see him with our coaching staff, especially with Kenny [Atkinson] and the development pieces here.”
Crabbe ranked 91st among 94 shooting guards in defensive real plus-minus last season and averaged only 1.2 assists per game. He had 34 chances as a pick-and-roll ball handler last season, according to NBA.com, and scored 0.79 points per possession in those situations.
“We like the intangibles that he has,” Marks said. “He comes with length. He’s a versatile player. I think he can develop his game as a pickand-roll player, but I think also he’ll fit in nicely with the guys we currently have on the roster.”
Despite an overhauled roster and a superstar exodus from the Eastern Conference, the Nets aren’t setting any postseason expectations.
“I’m not really, to be honest, fo- cused on the playoffs,” Marks said. “I think we’re obviously making steps in a direction that hopefully everyone can see. We are going younger, we’ve got a youth movement here, and we’ve got guys that we feel like are versatile and talented and still have a lot of upside to go.”
Crabbe was more optimistic. However, when asked directly about the postseason, all he said was: “Anything is possible.”