Newest member of the Sacramento Kings gives the team something to be thankful for

Life is funny in how fast it can change. One day, you're watching NBA games on your TV, and one day, you're a starter in those very same games.

Now, not everyone's life sees such major swings. But that is at least what happened to veteran journeyman Jae Crowder this week.

On Monday, Crowder was sitting on his couch waiting for a phone call that didn't seem like it was coming, and by Wednesday night, he was starting for a team with deep playoff aspirations in the Sacramento Kings.

Jae Crowder's promising debut

As many readers of A Royal Pain are well aware, the spiraling Kings (losers of four straight before yesterday) added Crowder to their roster.

Not only did they give him a contract, but the Kings also made the extremely bold decision to start a player they had just officially brought on earlier that day.

Crowder started in place of DeMar DeRozan, who was scratched from the lineup due to the back injury that caused him to miss three games earlier this month (something to keep monitoring moving forward). And Crowder did not waste his golden opportunity.

The box score line isn't anything to write home about. Crowder played a little over 27 minutes, scoring eight points and grabbing four rebounds. But what really matters is that Crowder posted a game-high plus-minus of +16. This shows that his blend of size, physicality, defense, and spacing (2-for-4 from three) was beneficial to the Kings, at least tonight.

Crowder was out there for the final 7:39 of the game. During that time span, the Kings outscored the Timberwolves 29-6 to secure a 115-104 victory.

Crowder can't actually save the Kings' season all on his own. But you can't ask very much more from a 34-year-old who hasn't played professional basketball since April (seven months ago).

And who knows? Crowder isn't a good enough player to carry this team. But maybe him filling his role well helps another piece fall into place, which helps another piece fall into place, and in the aggregate, the Kings can get their season back on track.