A Royal Selection: Jerian Grant

Height: 6’5 Weight: 203

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The Player: Although he may not be selected in the top five of the NBA draft, or even be a lottery pick, Jerian Grant still brings a lot to whatever team selects him.

Through his four seasons with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Grant showed he was the prototypical point guard by orchestrating the offense, and showing impressive instincts on both sides of the court. What he lacks in athleticism, he replaces with length. Grant stands at 6’5 on the court and is also an asset at point guard because of his advantage in size over other players at his position.

Overall, Grant may not have that “star” factor that most lottery teams look for when analyzing draft prospects, but there’s no denying that he can potentially be an asset for whatever team selects him because of his inclinations on the court and his size as a point guard.

Statistics: What makes Grant special is that he has playmaking ability, and his stats throughout his career at Notre Dame reflect on that. This season Grant averaged a personal best of 6.7 assists per contest, and has averaged at least five assists every year, which is very high at the collegiate level.

Not only did Grant make plays for others, but also for himself. With the addition of the 6.7 assists he averaged, Grant also averaged 16.5 points a game while shooting at a rate of 47.8% overall. Through his tenure with Notre Dame, Grant’s total averages in points and assists are 14.5 PPG and 5.8 APG.

Overall, the statistics throughout the four seasons Grant has played define him as a playmaker. A point guard that looks for others to score first, but when in desperate need can find way to put the ball in bucket himself.

Draft Range: Like I mentioned before, Grant won’t be a top pick selected, and maybe not even a lottery pick. Based on a majority of mock drafts available, Grant is expected to be selected around the high-teens to early 20s area.

With that being said, the Kings have the sixth overall pick, which pretty much is a shoo-in for Grant to be available if Sacramento heads in that direction. Even though there is a fit for Grant in Sacramento, I think if the Kings stay at six they will be looking at other options.

The Fit: There is definitely a place for Grant if he was placed on the Kings roster. The fact that Grant’s main aspect is his playmaking ability, can potentially help fill a void for the Kings really since the days with Doug Christie.

The Kings also lack size in the guard position as well. Having a lengthy guard always is a benefit because it gives them the ability to shoot, pass, and defend over their opponents who are most likely smaller in size.

Instincts has also been a major flaw for the Kings in recent history. The Kings have talent on their roster, but as a team their lack of instincts is what has held them back. Grant brings both high IQ on both the offensive and defensive end, which is now starting to be an attractive quality in draft prospects.

Talent can get you only so far, but we saw last season when the San Antonio Spurs won the NBA championship that instincts is just as important.

Final Thoughts: Although Jerian Grant has characteristics that fit in with what Sacramento needs, I wouldn’t be too thrilled if the Kings decided to select him at six. The fact is that Grant isn’t worth a 6th overall pick, and it would be huge reach if the Kings went in that direction.

However, Grant does have the characteristics and potential to find a place in the NBA, so if the Kings do trade down in the draft around the middle of the first round, Grant should be considered an option then.

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