Did the Portland Trail Blazers make the most underrated off-season move?

Portland Trail Blazers: Unselfish player

When Jerami Grant arrived in Portland, he was well aware that the 2023 campaign would be viewed as a bounce-back year for Damian Lillard. The superstar point guard missed the majority of last season due to injury, and fans in the Northwest were anxious to see how he would look upon his return. In addition to the return of their franchise player, there was the continued growth of the young up-and-comer, Anfernee Simons, to take into consideration.

Simons had shown steady improvement every year of his career until he finally broke out last season, averaging 17.3 points per contest. Then there was Jusuf Nurkic to take into consideration. When healthy, he is one of the most talented big men in the league, but injury woes have greatly reduced the number of games he has played over the past three seasons.

With all of these storylines circling the team, Jerami Grant could have easily seen this season as a showcase for his next suitor. If he entered the year with a mindset to shine individually and put the fate of the team second, he could have disrupted the chemistry. Instead, he has gelled with the Blazers’ cornerstone players and has made himself a potential building block for the team’s future.

The Blazers kicked things off right, winning the first four games of this season. Furthermore, Simons is averaging a career-high 22.9 points per game, while Lillard and Nurkic are averaging numbers very reminiscent of their usual contributions. To put it simply, Grant has managed to contribute on a nightly basis without detracting from his teammates.

The Blazers have had some peaks and valleys in this short season, but the overall feeling is that a winning culture has returned to the franchise. Grant’s unselfish approach to being a part of the team deserves some credit for that.