Jae Crowder and Jonas Jerebko are next-door neighbors in Utah
Jae Crowder and Jonas Jerebko spent three years together in green and white before Jerebko left for Utah as a free agent in July. When a three-team deal reunited the pair with the Jazz, Jerebko said it was great to be back together with “one of my all-time favorite teammates.”
Now, Crowder has a chance to become Jerebko’s all-time favorite neighbor. According to Eric Woodyard of the Deseret News, Jerebko helped his old teammate find a place in their new city when the Jazz acquired Crowder. They’re now next-door neighbors.
“He helped me get acclimated with the city a little bit, helped me find a place, so I knew I could depend on him once I got out here,” Crowder said.
JAE WITH THE BOUNCE PASS OUT TO JONAS FOR A #MACU#..!! 🇸🇪😈#TakeNote https://t.co/C7GYDJoqXu
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 14, 2018
The Jazz take on the Celtics Wednesday night in Utah. Kyrie Irving and Marcus Smart are out for Boston, which holds the No. 2 spot in the East while the Jazz sit in No. 7 in the West. Celtics coach Brad Stevens said that both Crowder and Jerbko are winners playing for an expert coach in Quin Snyder.
“When Jae got traded here, I thought that this was gonna be perfect. It has been,” Stevens said. “It’s been fun to watch from afar. Jonas has had a great year. They’ve won a lot of games for us, and they care about winning. I think they’re team-first. So I’m sure they really appreciate the positions they’re being put in.”
Crowder and Jerebko were both part of Stevens’ team that made the Eastern Conference Finals in 2017. Jerebko contacted Crowder when he was in Cleveland, writing that the Jazz could use him in Utah. As soon as news of the trade broke, Jerebko told him, “Great to have you,” and Crowder replied,”I’m on my way.”
“His level of engagement as a friend has never wavered,” said Crowder. “It’s always been the same whether we win, lose, play a lot of minutes, doesn’t play a lot of minutes, it’s just his friendship never wavers, and that’s pretty big at this level.”
