Despite beating the 15-man roster deadline by agreeing to a one-year, $2.4 million deal with the Phoenix Suns, veteran guard Jamal Crawford could lace them up in time for the season-opener on Wednesday against the Dallas Mavs, according to Gina Mizell of The Athletic.
“We’ll see… I’ll be open (to it),” said head coach Igor Kokoskov.
Crawford is known for being a basketball junkie, so it would come as no surprise to see him fully fit and ready to take the court, despite venturing into a brand new offense and having no previous rapport with his new teammates.
The 38-year-old has showed no signs of slowing down, playing in 80 games last season despite having one of his worst NBA seasons under coach Tom Thibodeau and the Minnesota Timberwolves, buried in the bench for longer than he'd like.
“We have a young squad. Never enough good players. Never enough good offensive players,” said Kokoskov. “We’re just gonna find a way to work it out and incorporate (Crawford) with the current roster… We don’t bring him in just to find out what he can do. We know what he can do.”
Jamal Crawford will be thrust into a dual role, being “another vet teaching us rooks how this league works,” according to Deandre Ayton, while still getting a good slate of minutes to see the court, a bow to the “fit” he longed for during this arduous free agency period.
A three-time Sixth Man of the Year, Crawford can play either guard position with ease, making use of his one-on-one skill set to create his own shot or provide for others as the lead playmaker.
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