Free-agent guard and reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford will return to the Los Angeles Clippers for at least one more season in 2016-17. The team announced he would be returning to Los Angeles on Friday, per Dan Woike of the Orange County Register.
The 36-year-old veteran has been a key part of the Clippers' core over the past four seasons, but the team didn't advance past the conference semifinals in any of those years. That's led to a landmark offseason in L.A. as it tries to climb higher in the stacked Western Conference.
Given Los Angeles' need to win now, it's not a surprise the Clippers brought back Crawford. He averaged a healthy 14.2 points per contest during the regular season and also shot 90.4 percent from the free-throw line.
Crawford showed he's still capable of filling it up on the big stage during his most recent game in a Clippers uniform, too, scoring 32 points in a 106-103 playoff loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Crawford has explosiveness and is an excellent ball-handler, which helps offset the mileage he's racked up during his lengthy NBA career.
Having a mentor as experienced as Crawford will also be invaluable to the continuing development of Austin Rivers—who agreed to a three-year, $35 million deal to return to the Clippers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical—and whoever else gets into the mix in the Clippers backcourt.
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