You know what? We’re going to talk about Allen Crabbe today. Mostly because I don’t think we get the opportunity to assess his performance very often, but also because I like the guy. He saw quite a bit of court time in the Trail Blazers’ preseason loss to the Lakers last night, so now is as good a time as any to give him a look. Who knows when our next legitimate chance will be?
Crabbe’s statistics from last night
| PTS | AST | REB | STL | BLK | FG | MIN |
| 11 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 5-9 | 34:59 |
(Full box score here)
To put into context exactly how little he played in 2013-14, his minutes in this game exceeded one third of the total time he spent on the court in his whole rookie season. He was afforded last night’s convenience because Head Coach Terry Stotts sat all but one starter (Damian Lillard). Crabbe made the most of this romp.
Despite playing the most any player for a change, Crabbe was the only Trail Blazer with a positive +/- in a lost game. Of the 12 Trail Blazers that played, Crabbe scored the fourth-most points with the second-highest field goal percentage (55.5 percent) and most assists. Heck, he almost caught Thomas Robinson for most rebounds! Without a designated “stand here, shoot there” role, he was more active than ever.
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Perhaps most encouragingly, on the defensive end. He used his lateral quickness to stay in front of his man and used his length to affect shots. That block you see in the stat-line was not a “right place, right time” help side play, but rather a much more difficult one-on-one rejection of a pull-up jumper. He did not give up easy points, nor did he seem to lose energy as the game wore on.
When I spoke with Crabbe last month, he stated that he focused on strength and conditioning a lot over the summer in order to better showcase his skills in preseason:
"“I definitely hit the gym a lot more. I just told myself I’m going to really have to put in a lot of time in the gym this summer. So I definitely changed up my working out. I worked out, like, three times a day, just making sure I’m really getting in and really putting in that work. Training camp is tomorrow and preseason is right around the corner, so hopefully I’ll be able to showcase that and crack a rotation this year.”"
Given the cramped situation in Portland’s backcourt, it would probably take extenuating circumstances for him to accomplish his rotation goal, but the fruits of his labor are evident. He looked energetic, but controlled and comfortable on both ends of the floor.
Chances are high that he will have to fall back into a niche role as a spot-up shooter if he wants to see the court at all during the regular season, but it is reassuring to see other skills on display. He is going to be an effective player in this league when opportunity knocks as long as he keeps working. Last night we saw him find the open man, make aggressive cuts, and, at one point, steal the ball for a dunk in transition. He can be more than a one-trick pony.
Of course, this was one preseason game worth of activity, so there is no need to be overly reactionary. He still has a long way to go. At 22 years-old, Crabbe is the youngest player on the roster with some quality tools at his disposal. I would like to see him develop his skills in a more competitive environment, if Stotts will let him from time to time. Don’t sleep on Crabbe. One day he’ll get a chance to prove that he hasn’t been sleeping either.