Jae Crowder

Jae Crowder

(AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

WALTHAM -- The early stages of training camp are always tough to cover because so little is really known. The Boston Celtics haven't played a game. Reporters haven't seen any 5-on-5 action. We can only go by what people tell us, and basketball players tend to be optimistic.

So I don't know how much stock you should put into Al Horford's claim that Jae Crowder's jump shot developed over the summer. Horford saw Crowder at his worst last season -- when the forward was hobbling through an ankle injury in the playoffs and shooting gross percentages from behind the arc. But, anyway, Horford went out of his way on media day to compliment Crowder's improved 3-point shooting. The topic became something to discuss.

"Jae works really hard on his shot," head coach Brad Stevens said Wednesday before the second practice of the day. "He's very consistent in his work, very deliberate in his practice. I haven't noticed a ton of difference. I've always thought he was a pretty good shooter. A whole other summer of work so, he's made shots certainly thus far. (During the first day of practice), he made shots."

Crowder shot a career-high 33.6 percent from behind the arc last season, but a closer look reveals how close he came to bettering that. Over the months of December, January and February he shot 37.3 percent, 37.9 percent and 34.5 percent, respectively, before ankle issues hindered him down the stretch. After a late tailspin (which was related to the injuries), he finished a bit below the league average for 3-point shooting. It's possible he could rise to that level, 35.4 percent, or beyond it just by staying healthy.

The vast majority of Crowder's long jump shots were catch-and-shoot attempts. He said he spent a lot of time developing his off-the-dribble game this summer.

"Way more comfortable off the dribble, shooting the ball off the dribble, making a play off the dribble," he said. "Of course with Isaiah (Thomas) who's going to draw a lot of attention and Al's going to draw a lot of attention, I should have a lot of shots on the court where it's just me stepping into a shot and making it. So I'm just trying to work on those shots. And of course like I said, I just feel more comfortable off the dribble, making a shot, making a pull-up, or if it be just coming off the pick, stepping back and shooting a three."

Like most other improvement talk this early in training camp, we don't know for now how it will translate to the court. But it would be an interesting wrinkle for the Celtics development if Crowder, an efficient scorer already, could become more dynamic at the offensive end.