MILWAUKEE -- Jae Crowder's path to the NBA was a long, winding road that led him to two different junior colleges before two strong seasons at Marquette University led to his selection in the NBA Draft.
Now Crowder is fighting to stay in NBA.
After falling out of the rotation with the Dallas Mavericks, the former Marquette star has benefited from a trade to the Boston Celtics.
"It's exciting," Crowder said. "From a management standpoint in Dallas, (Mark) Cuban and those guys dealt me to a great situation knowing that I was probably going to benefit from it, I take my hat off to them for dealing me to a great organization like Boston.
Crowder played two seasons at Marquette, helping the Golden Eagles to consecutive berths in the Sweet 16 and winning Big East Player of the Year following his senior year of 2011-12.
Drafted No. 34 overall in 2012 by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Crowder was traded to Dallas as part of a five-player deal on draft night.
He averaged 4.8 points and 2.4 rebounds over 16.7 minutes per game during his first two seasons with the Mavericks, finding a niche as a productive reserve for coach Rick Carlisle. Crowder's playing time dipped significantly this season, as he averaged just 10.6 minutes over 25 games before the trade.
Since being one of three players shipped to Boston in the Rajon Rondo trade, Crowder has seen his minutes per game nearly double to 20.7 in 27 games with the Celtics.
Crowder has quickly become a fan favorite, averaging 7.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. He's played at least 28 minutes in five of Boston's last seven games, which is critical to the 6-foot-6, 235-pound free-agent-to-be.
A common thought around the league is that the Celtics are rebuilding. While competing for a playoff berth might not be the top priority of management, Boston currently sits just 1 1/2 games behind seventh-seeded Charlotte and eighth-seeded Miami despite holding a 20-31 record.
Crowder should continue to play significant minutes in the second half, an opportunity for the 24-year-old to earn a contract come the offseason.
"In Boston, people just want you to play hard," Crowder said. "With the Kevin Garnett era, Paul Pierce and guys who won it for them last time, they just want you play hard and that's what I do. That's what we do as Marquette guys, and it's unbelievable that the fans have taken me in like they have.
"It's a great situation and my role has really increased."
Although his college coach, Buzz Williams, is no longer at Marquette, Crowder says he still is an avid follower of the program. He has developed a friendly rivalry with Celtics coach Brad Stevens, who is the former coach of Butler, a current Big East rival.
Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski has extended an invitation to Crowder to come meet the new staff.
"That's unbelievable from his standpoint to give me an open door to come back," Crowder said. "I'm going to take his offer for sure.
"I intend on doing so this coming summer when I have some off time to meet Wojo and meet some of the guys, so I'm looking forward to it . . . You've got to come back. It's something we have to do, for sure."
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