The core of the “Lob City” Clippers is often referred to as four players, all starters for four of the team’s six-season run. Yet for all of “Lob City’s” flashy dunks and playoff letdowns, perhaps their most reliable contributor came off the bench.
Jamal Crawford is one of the league’s elder statesmen, classy and hard-working and incredibly talented. He plied his craft on the Clippers from 2012 to 2017, coming off the bench in 386 of his 421 games for Los Angeles. Crawford twice won NBA Sixth Man of the Year with the Clippers and every year was in the running for the award.
Crawford’s signature move was isolation scoring, taking on an opponent playground-style and scoring right in their grill. That did not stop him from getting in on the alley-oops action, however.
There is no denying Crawford’s skill as a scorer, and despite playing for the Clippers in his mid-to-late 30s, he was remarkably healthy and consistent. Only Chris Paul and Blake Griffin totaled more points during the six years of “Lob City”. No one broke more ankles than Crawford.
For an offense that often bogged down in the half court, Crawford was there to spark the fire and keep them afloat. No matter the challenge he rose to it, the consummate professional who never seems to age. When he was cooking, the sky was the limit to how many points he would score.
Crawford’s defensive limitations kept him from being the truly transcendent player his offense would seem to suggest, but everyone from teammates to fans, and especially opponents, view him in the highest regard. If “Lob City” was about high-flying offense, his rainbow shots deserve a prominent place in the historical display.