Jamal Crawford’s season stats were unimpressive until the Phoenix Suns actually let him play the last two games of the season.
Jamal Crawford joined the Phoenix Suns on a one year deal in a not clearly thought out plan for a playoff run. When the plan was exposed three days into the season, the Suns’ fire sale was on to get rid of all of the veterans.
The Lakers took advantage, nabbing Tyson Chandler and nearly got Trevor Ariza before the Suns reportedly got cold feet with Suns’ owner, Robert Sarver blocking the trade.
Seemingly, Jamal Crawford was the only veteran left on the roster, seemingly to mentor Devin Booker in the locker room.
Crawford played just under 19 minutes per game for the Phoenix Suns last season, averaging 7.9 points and 3.6 assists on 39.7 percent shooting. Although his numbers dropped off from previous seasons, he had a two-game stretch that keeps his name in the conversation of potential free agents.
First there was the Pelicans game on April 5th, 2019.
After falling behind in the second quarter, Jamal Crawford woke up to help lead the Phoenix to their 19th (and last!) win of the season scoring 28 points, dishing out seven assists and grabbing three steals. He also found time to shot 4-of-9 from the land of the extra point.
It was the perfect support for Josh Jackson who scored 35 points in possibly the best game of his career (Soon after, Jackson was in the G League and with the Memphis Grizzlies.).
Then two nights later, Crawford scored 27 points in 27 minutes in a 149-113 beat down by the Houston Rockets.
Then history happened.
Lake Show Life always says that film doesn’t lie. The last time Crawford was in an NBA uniform he dropped 51 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists. He hit seven 3-point shots and provided the only excitement for a Phoenix Suns fan that night in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
He became the oldest player to drop 50 points in an NBA game. That probably was the hottest performance he had since he played in New York for the Knicks (Shout out to Editor, Kenneth Teape who would remember!) when he hit 16 shots in a row (Including eight 3-point shots!) scoring 52 points in 39 minutes.
Another reason why Jamal Crawford could work out for the Los Angeles Lakers.