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What Happened To Allen Crabbe In The Playoffs?

By Ty Delbridge

Apr 22, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Allen Crabbe (23) shoots over Golden State Warriors guard Ian Clark (21) in the first half of game three of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 22, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Allen Crabbe (23) shoots over Golden State Warriors guard Ian Clark (21) in the first half of game three of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 25, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Allen Crabbe (23) shoots a jump shot as he is guarded by Minnesota Timberwolves guard Kris Dunn (3) at Moda Center. The Trail Blazers won 112-110. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 25, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Allen Crabbe (23) shoots a jump shot as he is guarded by Minnesota Timberwolves guard Kris Dunn (3) at Moda Center. The Trail Blazers won 112-110. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports /

Allen Crabbe was a non-factor against the Golden State Warriors.

Crabbe had a huge night in his last game of the regular season. He put up 25 points,5 rebounds, 3 assists and shot 8/10 from three. Crabbe can be a game changing player when he finds his rhythm.

He missed the final three games of the regular season with a foot injury. The Trail Blazers wanted him to be healthy for the playoffs, but it looked like the cobwebs hadn’t come off.

With Jusuf Nurkic out with a broken leg, Portland needed a third option on offense. All eyes turned to Crabbe because he was sure to get open looks with Damian Lillard and C.J McCollum on the floor.  AC shot 44% from 3 this season, and the Blazers we’re going to need it to beat the Warriors.

As we all know, the Blazers got swept by the Warriors. The team as a whole couldn’t keep pace, but Crabbe was cold the whole series.

Per NBA.com, he averaged 5.5 Points, 37.5 FG% and shot 23.1% from 3. His highest scoring game was 7 points. The Warriors were able to sag off him and send his guy to trap Lillard and McCollum.

On the defensive side, Crabbe had a hard time defending Steph Curry, Klay Thompson or Kevin Durant. His rust showed as he couldn’t keep any of them in front, while only managing one steal for the series.

Apr 22, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Allen Crabbe (23) shoots over Golden State Warriors guard Ian Clark (21) in the first half of game three of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 22, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Allen Crabbe (23) shoots over Golden State Warriors guard Ian Clark (21) in the first half of game three of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports /

Here’s to the Offseason

AC just wasn’t himself out there and that really hurt the Blazers. His foot injury may have affected his play more than we know. However, as much as we may love Crabbe, his $75 million contract is a tough pill to swallow after that series.

This will be a key off-season for the Blazers. They need to take the next step as a franchise in order to stay competitive with the west. In order to do that, the Blazers need Allen Crabbe to have a tremendous off-season.

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