Jae Crowder just took a significant step toward his return to action for the Milwaukee Bucks. This is after the 33-year-old veteran was assigned to the NBA G League with the Wisconsin Herd in order to get a few reps in before he plays in an NBA game for the first time in over two months.
There is still no definite return date for Crowder, but there’s no denying that he’s getting very close.
Jae Crowder Sounds Off on Imminent Return for Milwaukee Bucks
Speaking ahead of his G League assignment, Crowder dropped a bold promise about his upcoming return for the Bucks. According to the 6-foot-6 swingman, he expects to be a better version of himself than before he went down with the groin injury:
“I just want to get back to feeling what I want, what I need to feel,” he said, via Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I think ultimately that I’ll be better. I think I’ll be better than I was before pre-injury, honestly. Just taking on the challenges of what we need to do, like helping these guys, taking on that matchup of stopping the best offensive player. I think I’ll be much better off than I was before and I felt like I was doing a decent job at it before.”
Prior to having to undergo surgery on his left adductor, Crowder averaged 8.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 26.7 minutes per game. He also knocked down 1.8 triples per contest on a 51.6 percent clip.
Crowder conceded that he will need some time before he is able to get back to his old self. However, he is adamant that he will be back better than ever.
“Ultimately, down the line – I don’t know if immediately – but I know down the line I know I’m going to be in a better situation than I was before,” he said. “I felt like I was playing good basketball before. I feel like I’m going to be playing even better basketball post this injury. I really, honestly in my heart I feel that way. I don’t know how soon that’s going to be. I have to ramp myself back up.
“I’ll be on a minute restriction when I come back. That’s going to be frustrating for anybody to stay in a groove or find a groove. But I’m going to stay the course and be very happy and thankful to even be able to put on a uniform again and get some minutes and hopefully heal this thing back up.”
Crowder Remains Grateful
It has been a long and arduous recovery process for Crowder. This also isn’t the first time he’s gone down with a significant injury. However, this did not make the road to recovery any much easier.
At this point, Crowder is just grateful for all the support he’s had through this taxing journey:
“I’m very thankful for the hands that I’ve been working with on a daily basis and helping me when I had a bad attitude and just coming in and just bearing with me and just keeping the process moving forward,” Crowder said. “I think I’m very happy with that, I’m very satisfied.
“So when I was able to do five-on-(zero) this week I just felt great. I just had extra juice, I’m just ready to go. I’m pain free right now so I’m very thankful for that.”
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