JJ Redick's Injury Paves Way for Jamal Crawford to Thrive with LA Clippers

Upsides aren't easy to find in injury, but for Jamal Crawford and the Los Angeles Clippers, they do exist.

Los Angeles announced that J.J. Redick would miss six to eight weeks after suffering "a fracture in the small bone (pisiform) of his right hand and a tear of his right ulnar collateral ligament (UCL)" in a victory over the Sacramento Kings. Quite obviously, this is a huge loss.

In his first full season as a starter, Redick is averaging 15.8 points per game on 46 percent shooting, both of which are career highs. When he's on the court, the Clippers are also scoring at a rate of 112.5 points per 100 possessions, compared to 101.5 without him, according to NBA.com (subscription required).

Looking ahead, his absence will force head coach Doc Rivers to rely heavily on the offensive stylings of Crawford, who is now Los Angeles' third-leading scorer after a 20-point performance against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.

Crawford has seen his role diminish ever so slightly under the Rivers regime. His shooting percentages are up, but his scoring and shot totals are down.

Replacing Redick's production will take a concerted effort across the board. From Chris Paul to Blake Griffin, there is need for everyone to step up on the offensive end. 

Most of all, there's an opportunity for Crawford to build upon his already-strong campaign with an increase in offensive freedom and exposure.

Already Chucking

Once Redick went down, Crawford went to work.

Against the Kings—when Redick exited during the second quarter—Crawford recorded 31 points and 11 assists on 22 shots, all of which are season highs. He followed that performance up with 20 points on 19 shots in a loss to the Pacers. 

Previously, Crawford attempted more than 15 shots in a single game just once through his first 16. Over the last two, he's attempted at least 19. And he's logged at least 33 minutes in each as well.

No Redick means extra minutes; extra minutes equate to extra shots; extra shots aren't necessarily a bad thing for Crawford.

The former Sixth Man of the Year was shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 40 percent from deep through the first 17 games of the season, both of which would be the second-best marks of his career if they hold.

Crawford has always struggled to remain offensively economical, especially when shooting in volume. But this season, he's been uncharacteristically efficient. With Redick out, he has the opportunity to sustain such percentages in conjunction with a more prominent role. Or at the very least, regain some of his lost swagger.

Prior to Redick's absence, Crawford was floundering. For three straight games he failed to eclipse 13 points and 36.4 percent shooting from the floor. Not only does that make his current conversion rates even more impressive–weighed down by a string of poor performances—it's proof he needed a spark.

Awful shooting has never prevented Crawford from scoring or making some sort of offensive contribution. In the loss to Indiana, he shot just 31.6 percent but still managed to tally 20 points.

Games	MPG	PTS	ASTS	REBS	FG%	3P%
Last Two	31.5	25.2	6.5	4.0	43.9	30.7
Previous Three	23.0	9.7	2.0	2.0	30.0	15.4

That's the Crawford the Clippers need—the one who scores no matter what. Efficient scoring renders him unstoppable; when all else fails, though, he should still be dangerous, like he was against the Pacers.

Crawford will always have performances like the one he had while facing Indiana. There will also be stretches where he struggles, like he was before Redick was injured. The key is to put distance between those sad displays and the one he had against the Kings.

For more than a decade, Crawford has been at his best when he's been asked to bombs away. With one less hand to feed in the rotation, he'll be free to do just that.

Catching Rivers' Eye

Redick is Rivers' pride and joy; the crown jewel of Los Angeles' offseason. We know this.

Over the summer, Rivers pushed heavily for Redick's arrival. When it looked like Clippers owner Donald Sterling wouldn't push the deal for Redick through, it was Rivers who swayed him in the other direction, according to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.

But now he's gone, and Rivers has no choice but to channel his affections elsewhere for the time being. And there's no other perimeter player deserving of his faith more than Crawford.

Jared Dudley has been gross since joining the Clippers. Save for his defense, Matt Barnes has been equally as disgusting. And Antawn Jamison has barely managed to crack the rotation.

None of Los Angeles' available soldiers bring what Crawford does. Barnes and Dudley are better defenders, but they cannot score as frequently. And no one outside of Paul and Darren Collison can sporadically run the offense the way Crawford can.

In him, the Clippers have another go-to scorer. Big-shot taker. Situational facilitator. And now, without Redick, an unbridled role player, too.

The Importance of Being Crawford

By no means has Crawford been a bust this season. Nor has Rivers shackled him to a role he shouldn't be playing. But there have been limits to his opportunities.

Redick's arrival designated Crawford a No. 4 scorer, behind Paul, Griffin and Redick himself. Sixth men routinely find themselves in similar situations, but they often result in fluctuating shot totals. Inconsistent stat lines. 

Crawford was no exception, as he struggled to find his place in the offense as the season wore on. Poised to consume additional touches once earmarked for Redick, Crawford is now in a better position to find his groove. 

The Clippers won't be better off without Redick in the long run. Their offense will lack an irreplaceable punch in the early going as we saw against the Pacers. But as they play on, as Crawford is given more freedom, things will fall into place. Crawford will find his place. 

Fitted with a surging Crawford, the Clippers will then be that much more dangerous upon Redick's return.

  

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*All stats were compiled from Basketball-Reference and are accurate as of Nov. 30, 2013 unless otherwise noted.