Detroit Pistons: 3 takeaways from a Pistons win in Washington

Jerami Grant put together a nice night for the Detroit Pistons

Jerami Grant‘s preseason career with the Pistons didn’t get off to a great start over his first two games. He shot 3-of-19 and had some truly mind-blowing moments that seemed indicative of simply trying to do too much. For example, dribbling into the teeth of the defense and getting himself caught in no man’s land multiple times against Elfrid Payton in their last game, and dribbling into an 18-foot jump shot in Game 1, but we saw a more controlled Grant on Thursday night.

He took just eight shots, going 5-of-8 from the floor and 3-of-5 from 3-point range, and he overcame first-quarter foul trouble. Maybe spending some time on the bench after getting two early calls against him helped him settle down and slow the game mentally, or maybe he’s just more comfortable after a couple of games and a couple of weeks of practice with his new teammates.

Grant came to Detroit in the hopes of a bigger role than the one he had with the Denver Nuggets, and it’s sure to come with some growing pains over time. After all, he had superstar teammates with the Nuggets that made his life easy, and there are no such players here in Detroit.

It won’t be easy for him, but Thursday night was a nice step in the right direction as he gets his feet under him in a brand new situation.