Philadelphia 76ers: How Rookie Jerami Grant Can Earn Playing Time
By Cody Daniel
For those who aren’t familiar with the tough and tenacious style of Philadelphia 76ers’ rookie Jerami Grant, you’ll see soon enough that this is what will earn the former Syracuse star his share of time on the hardwood in 2014-15.
After being selected 39th overall in this years draft, Grant was set to enter into a door of opportunity and potentially bright futures as a member of what we know as Sam Hinkie’s circus of a roster. Grant joined a roster littered with guys who are filling temporary contract needs, available roster spots, below-competition talent and a few guys who are expected to be around for the 76ers future.
As of now, Grant is included in that small group of guys on the current Sixers’ roster who are expected to be around down the road once they finally decided to try and become competitive. But first, getting his foot in the door as a rookie will come by simply doing what he survived on at Syracuse, which Grant showed glimpses of during his opportunities in the summer leagues.
Being listed at 6’8”, 210 pounds, Grant is going to bring a style as the undersized power forward that will remind folks in Philly of their former forward of seven years, Thaddeus Young. It would make sense for Grant to play on the wing in the NBA with his lack of interior size, but he simply doesn’t have the skill necessary yet to survive on the perimeter. His long-range game is completely absent and his unorthodox shooting form doesn’t make his touch from midrange much more appealing. Grant doesn’t have a great handle and isn’t quite able to drive to his left well enough to have much success with it as a rookie.
But this limited ability on the wing isn’t going to be much of a roadblock in Grant’s efforts to go from being a rookie fighting for a spot to becoming a relied upon member of the rotation by season’s end.
As a first year player looking to establish a role and an identity, nothing will be more valuable than Grant’s unrelenting effort. Offensively, Grant does the little things that are extremely undervalued in today’s NBA such as consistently crashing the boards, competing on every possession and actually putting effort into boxing out on rebounds. This willingness to scrap for loose ball opportunities will be enough to get Grant some court time with how the Sixers’ roster will be filled next season.
What Grant does when he gets the ball in those hustle and second-look opportunities is where he will get his staple as an offensive asset in 2014-15. Despite being undersized as a power forward, Grant lives for contact around the rim and quite frequently makes posters out of those looking to jump with this explosive athlete. With what can only be credited to a undeniable will to put the ball through the net, Grant get’s the majority of his points around the rim. He has great body control through contested defense and has a handful of spin moves and hesitation steps down low to help free himself up.
Yes, Grant is going to have his struggles as the post players of the NBA are much larger and noticeably more skilled than those in college, but having that motor that never stops will provide plenty of opportunities to stand out and make the necessity to make room for him on the court clear.
Then there’s always that special thing in a player that coaches love called defense. Grant is a very willing defender and has the athleticism and length that will match perfectly with his hustle to mold into a tremendous defensive threat. He has great footwork to guard on the perimeter and the strength to hold his own against smaller forwards in the paint. This will only continue to expand under coach Brett Brown and with this versatility to compete on defense and be able to do so on the wing or in the paint, Grant has yet another niche that will ensure he sees minutes once the season kicks off.
Grant will be surrounded by a roster or guys who will be looking to make the same impact in the rotation as he is. Luckily for the Sixers and Grant alike, only he has the unique skill set and tools that will make it nearly impossible to put other prospects on the court over him. There’s a long way to go before becoming a key piece on a young team but during his rookie season, Grant won’t have much of a problem finding valuable playing time.