The NBA Mailbag is open with NBA legend and NBC analyst Jamal Crawford ready to answer your questions before Sunday Night Basketball matchups on NBC/Peacock. This week, the Sixers travel to Boston to face the Celtics in a key Eastern Conference clash (8 ET, NBC/Peacock).
Have a question for Jamal? Submit it here.
Will the Celtics be the favorites to win the East if Jayson Tatum comes back? – from Sean in Boston, MA
What’s up, Sean? I think the Celtics, the way they’re playing, may be the favorites to win the East, whether he does or does not come back. I don’t think anybody predicted they would be number two in the East with Tatum sidelined. Jaylen Brown is a true MVP candidate, Coach Mazzulla deserves Coach of the Year consideration, and how hard they play defense will always give them a chance, no matter who they play.
Did you expect Tyrese Maxey to develop like he has (currently 5th in scoring)? What can he do to take his game even higher? – from Marcel in Pittsburgh, PA
I did not see him developing into a top‑5 scorer this soon. But I saw the talent, I saw the work ethic, and everybody said he was a great teammate who always works on his game. The next step for him, like all the greats, is to win. Once you win, people notice on a higher level, and that brings more awareness to your game.
What’s been most impressive about Jaylen Brown’s season? – from Mike in Milford, MA
His leadership. We always knew he could score and that he was a leader, but now you’re seeing those leadership qualities on the court, too. He’s setting guys up, telling them where to go (things he won’t get credit for) and helping the team succeed. Especially with no Tatum, the trades they made, and a different roster from their NBA Finals run, he’s taken a big leadership step.
Who do you think will have the East’s best record during the home stretch? – from Corbin in Mentor, OH
I think Detroit will keep leading the way. They’ve figured out how to win, been number one almost the whole year, and I think they’ll keep rolling. Cade Cunningham is bringing a certain pace that always allows him to be special because nobody can speed him up. He usually makes the right decision for whatever the moment calls for.
Hey Jamal! As a former Wolves player, how far do you think Ant Man and Minnesota go this year? – from Julian in Minneapolis, MN
That’s a great question. The West is loaded with Denver, OKC, Houston, and the Spurs. I could see the Wolves making a run to maybe the West semifinals. But it won’t just be on Ant. As Jaden McDaniels continues to evolve his scoring, that’ll be a huge punch for them in the playoffs.
Cleveland is coming out hot right after the major trade with LA. What do you think about the instant chemistry the team has with Harden, and what is the ceiling for this team? – from Faidzul in Malaysia
When Harden goes to teams, historically, they get a jolt of energy right away. So this is kind of par for the course for how that goes. They’re definitely playing with great chemistry faster than expected. But I’m not sure how far they’ll go. I think they’ll be really good in the regular season, but as things tighten up in the playoffs, that’s where I get a little concerned.
Are the Pistons this year’s Thunder team? Do you see them making a run to the NBA Finals? – from Deven in New York, NY
They can absolutely make a run to the Finals. They’ve been consistent all year, even when people have been out. Someone always steps up, and Cade anchors the middle of everything. But if we’re talking this year’s Thunder, I think that belongs to the Spurs.
Who had the deepest bag for a big man you have ever defended against? – from Logan in Stuart, FL
I’ll go with three guys I had to defend on switches at different times: Chris Webber, Kevin Garnett, and Rasheed Wallace.
Rasheed was one of the first bigs to shoot deep threes consistently. Garnett had incredible footwork that he learned from Kevin McHale. And Chris Webber could go slow to quick really, really fast. He would go slow, do a quick spin, and then reverse dunk.
All three were special in different ways.
Of the younger players in the league, under five years of experience, who are your favorite ball handlers? – from Michael in Madison, WI
I’ll go with Rob Dillingham and Dylan Harper.
Who has the best hesi in the league? Current player and a player you played with/against. – from Jay in Dallas, TX
Same person: Kevin Durant. His hesitation jumper, hesitation blow‑by, and hesitation crossover all look identical. So you don’t know which one he’s going to use. He’s just reading you. Whatever decision you make is the wrong one.
Since Chris Paul just retired, do you have any special memories of playing against him and with him? – from Nate’le’ge in Chicago, IL
Chris was always the heart and soul of our team. Very few people I’ve ever met in life love basketball as much as he does. Always improving, always driven. Our friendship was deeply connected through basketball, if that makes sense. You would think, “Oh, you guys played together, of course.” But both of our loves for the game gave us a real connection that very few people could truly understand unless you love the game like that. He’s one of the best ever, and it was an honor to play with him.
What’s it like being part of the NBA on NBC and Peacock crew? More importantly, what’s it like working with legends like Carmelo and Vince? – from Marvin on Facebook
Working with Carmelo and Vince and T-Mac and Reggie and all these great people is so cool because I’m a fan of all of them, watched them, played against them. So the conversations off-camera are the best ones. We talk about all types of stuff. We have a group chat called “Hoops Savants” with all these basketball minds in it, and we debate everything from a very deep-rooted, highest-level of basketball type of place. So it’s really cool. And it could be about anything basketball.
Being on NBA on NBC is surreal. I never thought I’d be working here. That was the soundtrack of our childhood with Bob Costas, Marv Albert, Michael Jordan, and slow-mo promos. It shaped our basketball dreams.
How is it possible that you were never voted to an All-Star team? Did you ever use that as motivation the following season? – from Matt on X
I don’t know how. I thought I’d make 2 or 3. I sacrificed by coming off the bench, and they asked you to sacrifice, but don’t reward you for it. If I had put up the same numbers as a starter, then I would have made it. But I had my peers’ respect and that was more important. I thought it was really cool when guys like Barkley or Kobe would say I should be an All-Star.
As the master of the 4-point play, what is your secret to staying balanced and focused when initiating contact on those jump shots? – from Kaydin in Australia
I always focused on getting the shot off. I could feel when contact was coming and shoot through it. Once the ball was gone, they couldn’t block it. The hardest part was actually the free throw after because you already made the hard shot, now you better make the easy one.
If you could play for any team right now, who would it be? – from Carolyn in Jamaica, NY
The Spurs. The culture is great, tons of playmakers and defenders, and then you have that alien back there who changes everything.
Your game always felt like storytelling, setups, misdirection, and plot twists. When you were cooking someone, did it feel like art to you? – from Stacey in Atlanta, GA
Absolutely. I’ve always viewed myself as an artist with a blank canvas. Everything was about collecting data. If a move didn’t work, I’d set it up differently next time. I wanted it to feel different than just watching a basketball player. Kyrie has that same kind of thing, where it feels like it’s a little bit different than just basketball. That’s what made the game unique when I was growing up watching my favorites. My inspirations, like Magic or Jordan or Isiah Thomas or Allen Iverson, all brought something artistic to the game.
What’s more fun … being a player or an analyst? – from Peter in Illinois
Coaching. I love analyzing the game and breaking it down. As a player, there’s no joy like it. I’ve done that my whole life … I’m actually about to go play after this. So I’m still connected. But coaching challenges your mind in real time. You have to adjust. And I get to coach my son. That’s the best part.
Have you ever been in a commercial? – from James in Duluth, GA
I’ve been in a few commercials. I was in a Reebok commercial about a jump shot — Allen Iverson was doing the voiceover and was in it as well. I was also in a commercial with Jay‑Z when he dropped S.Carter. And I was in a commercial with Michael Jordan where he picked me to play the younger version of him.
For someone chasing greatness in their craft, what mindset kept you elite for 20 years in the league? – from David in Orlando, FL
I was always chasing, never satisfied. I never stopped to say, “Oh gosh, look what I just did.” I always had a rule that if I had a really good game, I enjoyed it that night and the next day it was over. If I had a bad game, I beat myself up that night, watched film, and the next day I had to let it go.
So for me, instead of trying to enjoy every single win that came along, I would try to run, run, run, run, and look back like, “Oh, I came a long ways. All right. Keep climbing.” When you stack days like that, you grow. That was my mindset.
As someone heavily involved with the AAU scene, would you say the extra mileage players are getting in their youth from AAU has been a direct cause of more injuries in these newer draft classes? And if yes, do you have any ideas on what can be done to limit the wear and tear on players competing in AAU? – from Noah in Fullerton, CA
At times, yes. Growing up, especially up through 8th grade, players sometimes play 4–6 games in two days, every weekend. That naturally creates wear and tear. I remember in 6th and 7th grade, I think we played around 100 games … longer than an NBA season.
We eventually cut that down. After each season, I talked with our program director and we reduced the number of games from 100 to 70, then 70 to 50, and now around 30 total.
We replaced games with more practices and development, which is way healthier. In high school now, we don’t start AAU until after the school season ends, so that also leads to fewer AAU games.
This upcoming year will be my first chance to play in front of scouts and it will be my junior year of high school. What should my mentality be? School and team first or my personal career? – from Hayden in Southaven, MS
School and team first. Always. But you should also take your personal development seriously. That means stretching, running, getting shots up, staying in shape, and improving individually.
But that individual work has to flow into the team concept. College scouts aren’t judging you on scoring 30, because you probably won’t score 30 at the next level. They want to see if you can play with other good players. That’s when players really get noticed.
Little things matter, like going hard in the layup lines and being very coachable. Those details really catch a scout’s eye.
Have A Question For Jamal? Submit It Now!
