Jacob Crews

INTRODUCTION

Jacob Crews started his career in North Florida, after two seasons as an off-the-bench rotation player he transferred to Daytona State (JUCO) becoming All-America. Then he moved to UT Martin for his junior season, where he starred, earned First Team All-Conference, and led the Skyhawks to an OVC title. In the last seasons, he has been wearing the Tigers’ jersey, becoming an impactful and energetic player coming off the bench.

PHYSICAL

Jacob Crews has the right size for a long combo forward frame that projects well for spacing and switching roles. He is an energetic player, moves adequately for his height, and is not afraid of physical contact. He shows good coordination off the catch and some burst in transition. However, he is not overly muscular, so he might struggle in more physical matchups inside. While he has good footwork, his explosiveness and lateral quickness are average.

OFFENSIVE PHASE

Jacob Crews has shown that he can be a legitimate floor spacer and secondary scorer in certain contexts. At UT Martin, his shooting volumes and percentages (41.4% from 3P on 6.7 attempts per game) attested to his ability to shoot off movement, spot-up, and off screens. In limited minutes at Missouri, his volume and efficiency dipped (33.6% from 3P on 3.6 attempts) while remaining one of the scorers off-the-bench with Marques Warrick. While he shows the ability to cut, catch and shoot, and function as a roll/spot-up option in set actions, he has room for growth as a facilitator and in his reads. He can struggle to beat closeouts because his handle and creation off the dribble are limited; he often relies on catch-and-shoot or movement rather than driving. In pro settings, becoming more consistent under pressure and improving shot mechanics under duress will be key.

DEFENSIVE PHASE

Jacob Crews, with his length and size, possesses natural tools to contest perimeter shots, guard or forward, and help in drop defense. His energy and competitiveness allow him to be a nuisance in passing lanes and contest closeouts. However, he is not an outstanding lateral defender; in switch-heavy schemes, quicker guards may challenge him. He has a good sense of positioning and the ability to absorb contact, and his rebound rates at UT Martin (8.2 per game) show a willingness to crash the glass. He lacks vertical explosiveness and quickness to have significant numbers in blocks and steals, so he needs to ramp up his activity and timing in help defense. Sustaining energy, reading rotations, and minimizing foul trouble (and conversations with referees) will be essential for his impact value.

IMPROVED AREAS

Jacob Crews needs to diversify his offensive impact beyond perimeter shooting, becoming more confident attacking closeouts and finishing through contact. Defensively, sustaining effort and staying out of foul trouble will be crucial to maintaining trust in a structured system. Increasing upper-body strength and lateral speed should also be priorities to handle more physical or athletic forwards. With his shooting base and size, he projects as a potential stretch forward capable of fitting into European mid-level rotations if he can boost consistency and energy on both ends.