Heat's Jae Crowder Diagnosed with Concussion; Collided with Zion Williamson

Miami Heat forward Jae Crowder is in the NBA's concussion protocol, according to the Associated Press' Tim Reynolds.

Crowder exited Friday's 110-104 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans after being inadvertently elbowed in the face by Pelicans star Zion Williamson.

The 29-year-old joined the Heat in a deadline deal headlined by Andre Iguodala on Feb. 6, and the veteran has made an impact with his new team.

In 12 games with Miami, Crowder is averaging 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

This comes after averaging 9.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game with the Memphis Grizzlies, helping an otherwise young roster get into playoff contention.

He's suited up for six teams in eight NBA seasons. The latest deal was his fourth time being traded in less than three years.

Still, Crowder is a quality defender who can help offensively and is an ideal glue player for a contending team.

He averaged 11.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game for the Jazz last season while playing a key role on a team that ranked second in the NBA in defensive rating, per Basketball Reference. At his best, he averaged 14.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game in 145 starts for the Boston Celtics in 2015-16 and 2016-17 combined.

The Heat added him with the hope he can help put the squad over the top after a strong start to the season.

The latest injury means the team will potentially give more time to Derrick Jones Jr. and Andre Iguodala on the wing in smaller lineups.