Player Preview: Elijah Crawford

Kevin Willard was connected to a number of point guards during the transfer-portal process, but he landed on Elijah Crawford as his choice. This decision was made in large part due to three things: free-throw shooting, defense and pick-and-roll efficiency. Both Willard and CBS’ Jon Rothstein have spoken about these attributes on multiple occasions throughout the offseason. Those skills should transfer back up to power-conference play, where Crawford began his career in the Big 12. But how much more can he provide for the Wildcats?

Crawford was a four-star recruit across Rivals, ON3 and ESPN out of high school, where he committed to play for BYU. The guard didn’t play much as a freshman, averaging 5.1 minutes per game in 21 games played. BYU then brought in Robert Wright III after the season, so Crawford knew that playing time would be tough to come by. Looking for more of an opportunity as a sophomore, Crawford transferred to play for the University of Illinois-Chicago Flames in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Crawford led the Flames to a tie for third place in the MVC, where UIC eventually lost to Northern Iowa in the conference championship game. The 6’3″ sophomore led the team in scoring (14.1), assists (4.9) and steals (1.4), with standout performances coming in his last two games played. Against Northern Iowa, tallied 28 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists on 13/29 from the field (44.8%). He then took that momentum into the NIT, where the Flames took on ACC (still weird) foe University of California. In that contest, Crawford scored 14 points and dished out a career-high 12 assists (with only two turnovers). Crawford showed that he can perform on the biggest stages and against legitimate competition. The guard now looks to translate that into an entire season with Villanova.

Much has been made about Crawford’s efficiency in the pick-and-roll, as well as his ability to defend, but the one aspect that’s potentially being undersold is his shooting ability. Rothstein in particular has noted that Crawford is a not a prolific shooter, and that has been true up to this point. But underlying metrics are pointing to more progression on that front for the Augusta, GA native, as his 75.3% free-throw shooting would indicate that his shot is far from broken. His 27.6% from three jumps off of the page in a bad way, but there should also be some focus paid to the 3.3 attempts. Crawford being willing to shoot is key, but he was also at the top of every opposing team’s scouting report for the Flames. That won’t be the case at Villanova, so with added work and open looks it would be reasonable to expect an improvement there. If Crawford can hit the three-pointer at a low-30s clip, that should be good enough to keep the defenses honest.

With that hopeful increase in his efficiency from deep, coupled with his ability to hit free-throws, defend, orchestrate the pick-and-roll and take care of the ball, Crawford should be able to provide steady production for Villanova this year. Most wouldn’t expect him to be able to match the point-guard play from a year ago, but he also doesn’t have to with the improved talent throughout the rest of the roster. Be the straw that stirs the drink, while also being a threat at times for yourself, and the rest of the roster will fall into place nicely.