Jae Crowder Expected to Make Milwaukee Bucks Debut on Friday

The Milwaukee Bucks should finally see one of their trade deadline acquisitions in action on Friday night. CBS 58 News's Scott Grodsky expects Jae Crowder to make his season debut in tomorrow's game against the Miami Heat.

Crowder and Portis are both expected to play Friday.
— Scott Grodsky (@ScottGrodsky) February 23, 2023

Crowder arrived with the Bucks at the trade deadline as one of the assets moved in the colossal trade that sent Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets to the Phoenix Suns. Crowder refused to play for the Suns this season due to his dissatisfaction with his role on the team. He was a 67-game starter for the Suns in 2021-22, averaging 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game with a passable .541 true shooting percentage.

At the peak of his powers, Crowder was a credible role player for winning organizations. He has bounced around the league extensively; the Bucks will mark the eighth team he has played on before his 33rd birthday. His best years arguably came with the Boston Celtics from 2015 to 2017: he averaged 14 points per game over 145 starts with a respectable .452 field goal percentage. Unless his long layoff greatly improved his health, he's unlikely to match that difference-making production with the Bucks, but he should provide some meaningful depth for the stretch run.