One of the more valuable role players in all of the NBA over the past few years has been forward Jae Crowder. Prior to playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Crowder was an integral part of the trade that sent Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics.

In Boston, Crowder built a reputation for himself as one of the most hard-nosed defenders in the game and as a guy who will leave it all out there on the floor.

Crowder fit seamlessly as the teams starting small forward and is hoping Boston fans can recognize that when he returns to TD Garden for the first time since the trade. Following from Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn:

Jae Crowder on his possible TD Garden reception: "(#Celtics) fans have cheered for opposing team's players before (i.e. Gordon Hayward), I feel like they should do the same for me because I gave them a lot. I hope they give me a little cheer."

— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) January 2, 2018

Though a lot of the attention has been centered around Isaiah Thomas, who will be inactive tonight, Jae Crowder is more than deserving of his own recognition. He provided the Celtics with a gritty complement to match the flash and finesse of players such as Thomas and center Al Horford. Without his presence on the wing, a lot of Boston’s recent success would’ve been much harder to come by.

Expect the Marquette product to surely get some cheers, but a mixed bag overall, when he takes the floor tonight for what should be an entertaining matchup between the Celtics and the Cavs.

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