Nevertheless, Jamal Crawford and other players have demonstrated that changing the sixth-man role can have a lasting impact. Crawford, who started for more than five years, made a major change by accepting the role of a bench player. In a recent installment of the podcast ‘All Facts, No Brakes,’ Crawford discussed the inspiration for this daring decision.
The Drive to Change the Narrative
In his podcast appearance, Crawford talked about his time playing in the league before the arrival of positionless basketball. During his time in school and college, he always excelled and achieved success, but his NBA career did not reflect this trend. It wasn’t until his ninth season in the league that he finally made a playoff appearance. “I don’t mind coming off the bench; I just want to change the perception of me being a loser because that’s not accurate.” I was very self-assured in my abilities, thinking that even if I were on the sidelines, I could still perform my job effectively. Crawford stated, “I enjoy taking on fresh challenges.”
A New Chapter with the Atlanta Hawks
Crawford experienced a change in his career trajectory upon joining the Atlanta Hawks for the 2010 season, which also happened to be his first time participating in the playoffs. The Hawks, with Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford, Marvin Williams, and Mike Bibby forming a solid starting lineup, created the perfect setting for Crawford to adapt. Despite not starting, he received ample playing time and maintained an average of 18 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2 assists per game.
Reflecting on Regrets
Although he was successful as a sixth man, Crawford later admitted he regretted switching his playing position. I am a scoring Point Guard. My biggest on-court regret was switching positions. “If there were only basketball without defined positions, then…” he posted on Instagram.
The Impact and Legacy
Crawford’s change greatly affected the sixth man’s position in the NBA. After transitioning to a sixth-man role, he participated in the playoffs eight times, a significant increase from his lack of playoff appearances in the first nine seasons. Even though he never won an NBA championship, his impact on the sport was unquestionable. Lou Williams once stated that he believed the award for ‘Sixth Man of the Year’ should have been named after either Jamal Crawford or himself instead of John Havlicek. Crawford earned the Sixth Man of the Year title three times and kept up strong numbers, averaging 15.9 points per game in 26.8 minutes from his first to last game.
A Lasting Legacy
Jamal Crawford’s ability to adopt a new position and succeed in it has made a lasting impact on the NBA. His career is a motivating demonstration of how welcoming change and new challenges can result in unforeseen and enduring success.
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