Jerian Grant is not the hero New York deserves, but the hero it needs. The 23-year-old guard is coming off a rocky rookie year where he failed to find a spot in the Knicks guard-heavy rotation for the majority of the year. Grant showed promise in April when interim Head Coach Kurt Rambis named him the Knicks starting point guard due to the absence of Jose Calderon. Because of that, the rookie was able to showcase his talent. The New York Knicks have been without a stable point guard since Jason Kidd manned the helm in the 2013 campaign, evidently the last time the Knicks were in the playoffs. The NBA is adapting to a league dominated by the point guard position, and it is impossible to win without one.
The Case For Jerian Grant
Grant was selected 19th overall in the 2015 draft following his future Knick counterpart Kristaps Porzingis. Grant spent his collegiate career at the University of Notre Dame where he played four stellar seasons, minus the season he was ruled academically ineligible for half of their games. Grant was an All-Freshman in his first year, and was widely respected as the team’s leader in his senior season, being placed on the midseason watch list for both the John R. Wooden Award as well as the Oscar Robertson Trophy. He led the team to the Elite 8 and put together an impressive enough season to land himself in the first round of the NBA Draft. Grant was selected by the Washington Wizards before his rights were subsequently traded to the Atlanta Hawks, and then again moved to the hands of the New York Knicks in return for Tim Hardaway Jr. Grant was no stranger to the NBA. He is the son of former NBA player Harvey Grant, and older brother to Jerami Grant of the Philadelphia 76ers. Grant was added to the Knicks summer league roster where he showcased some talent, averaging 11.8 PPG and 4.8 APG. Despite showing he could be an asset to the Knicks squad, he struggled to find any kind of consistency in playing time. Grant’s minutes were not only restricted, but he found patches where he didn’t play at all.
What He Can Do
On April 1, 2016, the guard prodigy was named the Knicks starter for the first time in his career. And man, did he play. Grant scored 14 points and had 4 assists. This might sound average to the casual fan, but it was a very impressive showing.
- 0:10 – Grant hits three
- 0:15 – Grant blocks shot
- 0:30 – Grant attacks basket
- 0:44 – Grant alters shot based on defense
- 1:08 – Grant finds open man after pushing fast break
- 1:13 – Grant kicks out to open man for three
- 1:27 – Grant finds man in tight coverage
- 1:45 – Grant makes move to hoop; follows shot for putback
Grant showed real potential. He knocked down the three ball, attacked the basket with tenacity, and easily adapted to defensive pressure. Grant made nifty moves to get into the paint and faced the defender head on, where he either made the quick no-look pass in traffic out to the open man and showcasing his court vision, or changing his shot in mid-air and landing the clean layup. Grant showed ability to use either hand when attacking the rim and could also provide some energy defensively, something no other Knicks point guard was able to do all season. Grant has also thrived in the pick-and-roll with fellow rookie Porzingis, a possible deadly combo who could become the Knicks’ cornerstones of the future. In his five games starting since April, Grant averaged 13.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, and 1.2 SPG. Grant saw his minutes almost double, going from 15.37 minutes per game to 29.2 minutes per game. The Knicks could thrive from his fresh set of legs, and he brings defensive stability, something veterans Jose Calderon and Sasha Vujacic can’t offer.
Grant is nowhere near a finished product, but that’s what happens when your coach is more focused on winning every game instead of developing the promising youth core even when the team had been eliminated from playoff contention. The Knicks are ready to add two more Point Guards to the roster this summer, one of them already being Tony Wroten. Grant, whose minutes were already depleted on a depthy but below par rotation, will face an even greater mountain this coming offseason. The Knicks club desperately needs athleticism at the guard positions, and big names like Mike Conley and Rajon Rondo might look to fill that hole. Even if that is the case, Grant can definitely provide support from the bench for the time being. But eventually, he needs to be given the opportunity to command this team and lead them out of the abyss.
