The 39th player selected in the NBA Draft by the 76ers was Jerami Grant, who will be heading to Philadelphia to play along side his Syracuse counter part, Michael Carter-Williams. Grant is an intriguing player because he is one of few players who were drafted in the second-round, but is clearly a first-round talent. Grant is an incredible size and Sam Hinkie noted during the post draft press conference that the scouting team was absolutely shocked when they saw that Grant was still available. When you watch highlights on the guy he still uses the spin move to his advantage and gets to the basket with ease. Think of a faster Stromile Swift or better yet if he can develop in the gym, a poor mans Jermaine O’Neal. Jerami plays well in the paint and has knack for drawing contact when driving to the basket. In increased minutes he averaged almost 8.2 points per game in the paint. He absorbs contact and continues to play hard throughout the game. It will not be rare to see him defending multiple ball handlers because he is just that versatile on the defensive end.
Grant has limited ball handling skills, but through the use of his size and a fluent spin move in which he favors highly , it allows him to get to the basket with ease. He also plays the pick and roll well due to his offensive aggressiveness. He can get a good amount of touches if he plays the power forward position.He brings so much energy it is as if he is running off Duracell batteries at times. Jerami is a player that plays high on defense as well. Watching tape on Grant, it was not rare to see him playing ball handlers on the three-point line as well as a bullying them in the paint.
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Sadly, Grant won’t be much of an offensive threat due to his poor shooting performance. He will surely have to hit the gym and work on his shooting mechanics is he wants to spend time playing the small forward position with the Sixers. If he can’t successfully use his spin move to get to the basket, it is usually going to end up as a turnover or missed shot. He resorts on the move too much because of his lack of handles. The more experienced players may do what they can to expose him while his back is to the basket. He has to learn not to force the issue — his basketball IQ is not that high. Watching him play it is almost as if he panics if the defense throws the double team on him. Maybe it was his role in the famed Syracuse 2-3 zone, but on the tape it surely showed.
During his tenure, Sam Hinkie has been versatile drafting players from Syracuse. Jerami played with Carter-Williams at Syracuse were he increased his scoring average by almost double. In his freshman season Grant averaged 5.5 points per game while shooting 49 percent from the floor. During his second season at Cuse, Grant scored an average of 12.1 points per game while also doubling his rebounding average from 3.1 to 6.8 rebounds per game. Hinkie is looking for an on the court chemistry to continue building a winner from the Syracuse duo.
Fans should look out for Grant in Summer League play and hopefully he can work on his shooting mechanics before the season. He has Brett Brown as a coach and we know Brown is high on developing young talent. Grant overall will be an exciting player to watch for the Sixers and he will be a work in progress. Look for him to flirt several times with the development league. His best basketball has yet to be seen and the sky is the limit for Grant. Hopefully playing alongside Carter-Williams will bring out the best in him. Jerami is a continued work in progress and fans will have to be patient with him on the floor. Although his collegiate stats were promising as he scored more as his minutes increased , his mechanics are still a major work in progress. Hinkie will surely have his hard hat on when watching tape of Grant come this season.