Jamal Crawford may have worked more in the offseason than he has at any point in his career, sensing a big year for a deep team with Coach Doc Rivers.
Crawford, who has built a reputation as a scorer only, has left an impression on Rivers for his unselfishness in preseason camp. Then again, Rivers said it was nice to see Crawford take a little more initiative in the last two games, in which he scored a combined 38 points.
“He was more aggressive,” Rivers said. “I thought I was messing him up in some ways, he was trying to fit in so much. I just texted him,. The great thing about Jamal is you don’t have to tell him a lot offensively.
“I told him ‘I’d like you to be Jamal at some point’. And he said, ‘Well, I’m trying to fit in.’ I said, ‘No, they fit in around you. You’re an offensive player. Don’t worry if you take enough shots I don’t like – I’ll tell you.’ ”