Orlando Magic: 3 most disappointing players of the season so far

1. Jerian Grant

It is easy to see why point guard Jerian Grant tops this list. Despite having the modest competition of D.J. Augustin for the role of starter, Grant has not taken his opportunity in Orlando so far at all.

On the one hand, Grant is on his third team in four seasons and there comes a time in a player’s career after a few stops when you wonder if there’s a reason for this. The flip side of that way of thinking, however, is that Grant plays hard when he is on the court.

This should be something coach Clifford should value, and by default of his body type alone, he is a better defender than Augustin. But for every notable defensive play or strip of the ball from an opponent, there are twice as many questionable shots being put up from difficult angles.

Grant is also supposed to be their primary facilitator when on the court, but he holds onto the ball far too long. His 3.4 assists per game are less than the 4.6 he averaged last season. It is also less than players such as Evan Fournier (4.3) and Nikola Vucevic (3.7).

Looking at it from Grant’s point of view, however, he is trying to survive in the league and so it is hard to blame him for trying to show he can do a lot with the ball in hand.

That really sums up how Grant’s time with the Magic has gone so far: forcing the issue and trying too hard to make a name for himself in Orlando. And it shows.

Again, we’re not questioning how hard he plays, and there may be something to the fact he has to play with the second unit predominantly. That unit still feels disjointed, despite the best efforts of Ross.

Grant is only averaging 20 minutes per contest, and at this point Magic management should be considering giving Briscoe some of those minutes … which tells you all you need to know about how Grant has started his time in Orlando.