By the numbers: A statistical look at Phoenix Suns SG Jamal Crawford

Seasoned veteran Jamal Crawford inked a one-year deal with the Phoenix Suns early on Monday morning, securing one more veteran presence for a team in the midst of an organizational transition.

With a transformed roster based on the team’s young foundation, the Suns have pushed to acquire experienced vets to help guide and aid their season. Crawford overtook center Tyson Chandler as the oldest player on the team and will share plenty of knowledge with his younger colleagues.

Over the course of his long and storied career, Crawford has played with and against some of the greatest players to grace the game. His experience will have a valuable impact on the team and the numbers back it up. Despite his struggles in Minnesota, Crawford can provide a boost for the young Suns.

Here are some of the more notable stats to remember when looking at Crawford’s career:

8

Phoenix will be the eighth team that Crawford has played for during his 19 seasons in the NBA. His longest tenure with a single team came over five seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers where he won two of his three Sixth Man of the Year awards. He also spent five seasons as a New York Knick, but played 71 fewer games in the Big Apple.

0.340

Over the course of his last four seasons, Crawford’s three point percentage has dropped to an underwhelming 34 percent despite his legacy as one of the toughest shot-makers in the NBA. If history proves correct, Crawford will hit on a decent amount of his threes but he’ll need to shoot a high volume of them.

37,777

Crawford has provided leadership and consistency for many teams through various eras of basketball. His 37,777 minutes played ranks No. 8 in the history of the league and No. 6 among active players. That veteran leadership should help the young Phoenix locker room to grow and develop throughout the year.

59

The 38-year-old guard holds the record for the most four-point plays in the history of the NBA with 59, five of which came during the postseason. You should be prepared to hear about this stat every time someone hits a four-point play on or against the Suns this season.

2.4

Money is a key factor in deciding whether or not a team made the right choice in signing a player. Crawford signed to a veteran’s minimum $2.4 million deal for one season, so this is a very low-risk signing for interim general manager James Jones.

-0.8

For a player that’s built a career as one of the best sixth men in the history of the game, Crawford clocked a surprisingly poor Value over Replacement Players, or VORP, in his stint with the Timberwolves. To be fair, Crawford backed up the team’s go-to guy in shooting guard Jimmy Butler, but the stat is still a good indication that Crawford may not be as valuable on the court as he once was.

-4.0

Defensive box plus/minus is a stat used to evaluate a player’s contribution to his team’s defense. Crawford posted the worst DBPM of his career at -4.0 on the Timberwolves. Take his stats from last season with a grain of salt since Minnesota’s defensive efficiency fell off a cliff any time Butler missed a game or even stepped off the court. Still, this is a tough break for a team looking to take a step defensively.

1.2

During his 80 games in Minnesota, Crawford committed a career-low 1.2 turnovers per game. As he’s gotten older, Crawford has done a great job of limiting his errors and making clean passes to his teammates.