The Thirteen Misfit Toys

Apr 8, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward

(39) in a game against the Washington Wizards at Wells Fargo Center. The Wizards won 119-90. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Small Forward
Jerami Grant

The Sixers front court is expected to be very good. You see, they have Nerlens Noel in his sophomore season. They just picked up Jahlil Okafor in the draft this year. And… and they have that other guy. Well, that other guy is Jerami Grant. He arrived unheralded in the second round of the NBA draft in 2014, and as is the case of many Philadelphia professional athletes, his selection was met with jeers.

And so, the young man arrived to a bad team with an expectation that he would be an anchor to even their modest hopes of success. Then disaster struck again and Grant was injured. Wow… But karma has it’s own path, and the time spent rehabbing enabled Grant to round out his game in a big way. He grew a three point shot into a viable option, which culminated in January and February, when he shot a combined 43.2% from beyond the arc. With his long distance range improving, the defenders now had to come out to him, and that really helped open up his entire game. Now that three point shot is a perfect fit for what this team needs.   And Grant enter his own version of a sophomore season.  It’s not too far fetched to expect his overall game to show marked improvement this season.

"“I think I had a good stretch, so I’m going to try to build off that in the offseason,” Grant said, specifically referring to the month of January during which he shot 47 percent from distance. ”I had some struggles, but I think that comes with the rookie year. I’m not really worried about it. I just know that I’m going to come back a better player next year.”"

With such a young team, it’s quite easy to overlook the impact of time of proficiency. Grant will indeed be a better player this year.

Next: Pierre Jackson