Boston Celtics forward Jae Crowder left the TD Garden following Wednesday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls on crutches after having sprained his ankle in the 107-100 Boston win. Celtics head coach Brad Stevens told reporters Crowder will miss at least a week with the injury.
Crowder played just 14 minutes before exiting, scoring 10 points and grabbing five rebounds, while draining both of his three-pointers.
This injury occurs just as the Celtics got back Marcus Smart, who played 34 minutes in his season debut following his own injury. Smart figures to see an increase in his role thanks to this sprained ankle, and rookie Jaylen Brown and veteran Gerald Green could see more time as well.
Crowder had a breakout offensive season in 2015-16, averaging a career-high 14.2 points and 5.1 rebounds in a year in which he started 73 games, the most of his career. He was acquired by Boston in December 2014 as a part of a deal that sent point guard Rajon Rondo to the Dallas Mavericks for what would be a short-lived tenure. But after having served as a part-time bench player his first four seasons in the league, Boston rewarded him with a five-year, $35 million deal in July 2015.
Entering the league as a second-round pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2012 NBA Draft, Crowder played at South Georgia Tech and Howard (where he was the Junior College Player of the Year) before transferring to Marquette, where he won Big East Player of the Year and was named a Second-Team All-American during his senior season.
The post Celtics’ Jae Crowder out at least a week with sprained ankle appeared first on Today's FastBreak.