After leading Notre Dame to a historic season featuring an Elite 8 appearance against number one overall seeded Kentucky, Jerian Grant looks to take the next step in his basketball career as he makes the leap to the NBA. Here’s a breakdown of his game as our NBA Draft Profile series continues on InsideTheACC.
PG/SG Jerian Grant, Notre Dame
Measurables:
- Age 22
- 6’5″ 200 lbs.
- Wingspan: 6’7 1/2″
- Standing Reach: 8′ 4″
As displayed by the dunk against Georgia Tech that broke the internet back in January, Jerian Grant combines elite level athleticism with an outstanding motor and excellent offensive game. All facets of his game were on display as a senior, where Grant rode a strong campaign to a First-Team All-American selection at guard. Starring as the point guard for the Fighting Irish, he scored 16.5 points per game on nearly 48% shooting (32% from three), and dished out 6.6 assists per game. His free throw shooting was a modest 78%, as he averaged nearly six free throw attempts per game playing point guard.
While he is widely expected to be a first round pick, there are some areas of Grant’s game that could improve heading into next year. First, he will need to up his 32% shooting from beyond the arc when he gets to the NBA. While he took a high volume of three point attempts as a senior, it is difficult to envision a situation where Grant can afford to shoot it that poorly from deep in the NBA. Additionally, while it is not a significant cause for concern as a guard, he only averaged three rebounds per game last season, and if Grant wants to become a more well-rounded player when he gets to the NBA, he will find a way to improve on those numbers.
Defensively, Grant is a work in progress. He has a high motor and a willingness to guard the opponents’ best player on a given night. Grant averaged nearly two steals per game as a senior, but at times he tried to jump some passing lanes while playing too over aggressively, which led to him being beat on back door cuts.
However, when trying to find serious weaknesses in Jerian Grant’s game as it is currently constituted, we are nitpicking. Grant was a First-Team All-American for a reason, and for a while this season, he was in discussion for Naismith National Player of the Year. He has great size and speed, an adequate game on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor, and star power to go along with it. When he gets picked, he should provide a solid backcourt option to an NBA team for years to come.
NBA Draft Projection: Lottery Pick to Late First Round
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