Height: 6’4
Weight: 198
Year: Senior
Position: Point Guard
NBA Combine Measurements:
2014-2015 NCAA Statistics:
16.5 PTS 3.0 REB 6.7 AST 1.7 STL 47.8 FG% 31.6 3PT% 78.0 FT%
Draft Projection: 1st Round Between Picks 15-20
NBA Player Comparison: Kemba Walker
Jerian Grant joins a very small group of seniors who are projected to go in the 1st round. Experience seems to continue to become a less important quality that scouts look for in a prospect. Experience is not the only solid quality that Grant possesses, though. Jerian is a good sized point guard who has incredible athleticism and a solid jumper. What he lacks in explosiveness he makes up for in his ability to separate himself from the defender off the dribble and hit the tough shots.
Grant showed during his days at Notre Dame that he can be a clutch shooter. He loves to have the ball in his hands at the end of the game and isn’t afraid to take the big shot, no matter the distance. Love Jerian’s intensity and his passion for the game. He is listed as a point guard and will most likely have to play that position in the NBA, but he will have a very tough time keeping up defensively with the explosiveness from the quicker point guards in the league. I would have loved to see Jerian Grant particpate in the Athleticism Tests at the NBA Combine, as I believe that could have helped him move up the draft boards. Jerian Grant is projected to go around 20th in the draft, but don’t be surprised to see him fall right around the end of the lottery as he is a very likable person with a lot of talent.
While Jerian Grant is 6’4 and a good sized point guard, his college game reminds me a lot of Kemba Walker’s. Kemba had a similar problem when coming into the league as does Grant. Walker was too small to be a shooting guard, the position most scouts thought he should have been, and most weren’t too sure if he was capable of being an NBA point guard. Obviously he proved the doubters wrong. I see Jerian Grant in the same situation, not because of height but because of the lack of quickness and ball-handling, as more of a slashing two-guard who is primarily a scorer. I believe he can do the same as Kemba and put in an incredible amount of work during the off-season to become better. Like Kemba, Jerian Grant will most likely have a hard time adjusting to the NBA talent at first, but after a season or two, we should find him as a very solid NBA point guard.
Future Professional Potential: Solid Starter