Kings Veteran Mentoring Young Teammates

Jae Crowder has played a total of just 92 minutes across seven games this season for the Sacramento Kings, but the 13-year veteran is doing his best to make a lasting impact on the Kings young players on and off the court.

When Crowder signed during the season, he was immediately thrown into the rotation, starting his first game with the team due to injuries.

He averaged 16.7 minutes per game in his first five games with the team, but has only played eight minutes since, not seeing the court since January 14th against the Milwaukee Bucks.

That doesn't mean the veteran isn't making his voice heard. He's working closely with the Kings' rookies and young players to impart wisdom that was passed down to him when he started in the league.

Crowder has developed a pre-game routine with the rookies Devin Carter and Isaac Jones over to meet and talk to the referees before tip-off to help build the relationship between players and refs.

That's how I came into the NBA. I had Vince Carter doing that for me every night. I just felt like that helped me respect the referees and help me build a relationship throughout my career.