Jordan Crawford says Sixth Man of the Year 'a lock' if given opportunity

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jordan Crawford says 2017-18 NBA Sixth Man of the Year 'a lock' if given opportunity.

To this day, Jordan Crawford is likely known for being the college kid who dunked on LeBron James in a Nike-sponsored basketball camp in 2009. For that to still be Crawford’s top claim to fame in 2017 is no longer as fun as it used to be for him. After all, he’s been a professional for seven years now, having played five seasons in the NBA and abroad.

After resurfacing in the NBA late last season with the New Orleans Pelicans following a couple of years in China and in the D-League, Crawford wants to change the familiar narrative of his NBA career. He wants to have a more defined role, one that he’s looking to get this time around as part of the Pelicans. If provided with that, Crawford tells Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype that him winning a Sixth Man of the Year trophy is a sure thing.

“To be honest, if I’m given the opportunity, I’m going to have a dominant season,” Crawford said excitedly. “I’m just being honest with you! I’m not trying to be cocky. Throughout my career, I’ve never been given a consistent role. When I’ve averaged double-figures, that was all me; I was doing it without having a consistent, clear-cut role and without having anybody believe in me. If I’m given the opportunity, there’s no telling what I could do. It’ll be very exciting.

“If I’m given the opportunity, the Sixth Man of the Year award is a lock. I’ll say that. If I’m given the opportunity, go put your money now on me winning Sixth Man. But I’m just going to do whatever the team needs from me. I don’t know if that will be what’s asked of me, and the team obviously comes first. I just know I can provide that scoring punch and give the team that offensive boost that we’re going to need at times.”

Crawford signed a 10-day contract last March with the Pelicans and immediately impressed the team — enough for New Orleans to lock him for the rest of the 2016-17 season. He finished the campaign with 14.1 points per game with a 38.9 percent clip from beyond the arc in 23.3 minutes per contest.

With Rajon Rondo and Jrue Holiday on the team, Crawford knows it’s unlikely he’ll be a starter so long as those two are healthy, but as someone who could light up the scoreboard off the bench, he’s got a great chance of turning more heads in the upcoming season.