Jamal Crawford finally made his long-awaited debut for the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, but he had to leave the game against the Milwaukee Bucks after just six minutes of play because of a left hamstring injury.
The Nets announced that Crawford will not return to the game. The 40-year-old guard, who signed with the Nets last month after the organization dealt with a slew of injuries and positive tests for the coronavirus, had been held out of the Nets’ first two bubble games as interim coach Jacque Vaughn wanted Crawford to build up his conditioning after being out of the league for so long.
Vaughn said prior to the game that Crawford would play in “short stints,” but Crawford played only six minutes before suffering the injury. He was 2-for-4 from the field with five points and three assists during that time.
“I love having guys who love basketball around the group,” Vaughn said before the game, when asked about Crawford’s veteran presence. “And Jamal does. You can talk to him about today’s game, you can talk to him about a game five years ago, you can talk to him about how the league has changed. So just overall talking basketball, I enjoy that. I enjoy a guy that’s not only engaged in himself but the entirety of the group, so it’s been awesome to have him around.”
Tuesday’s game marked the first time Crawford had been in an NBA game since April 9, 2019, when he went off for 51 points as a member of the Phoenix Suns in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Crawford became the oldest player in the league after Vince Carter announced his retirement earlier this summer.