Jerami Grant has been improving year after year for the Philadelphia 76ers, and will be a leading NBA candidate for the Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Going into the 2016-17 season, the Philadelphia 76ers have a huge year in front of them. Although it seems ridiculous to expect the team will improve enough to make it to the playoffs, there is reason to expect the team will up their win total from last year, which sat at just 10 (the second worst in NBA history).
The team has added in some solid pieces. They drafted Ben Simmons first overall, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot 24th overall, and signed Sergio Rodriguez, Jerryd Bayless, and Gerald Henderson. Still, we shouldn’t ignore the players who have been around over the last couple of seasons, since there is immense progress to be made there as well.
Many of those players were brought on to make for a losing roster, which is why it seems like it would make sense to eventually get rid of them. But some of the players truly do have high ceilings, and have potential in this league.
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Jerami Grant has been a consistent member of the Sixers for the last two seasons, playing nearly 150 games over the last two years. From his freshman to sophomore season in the NBA, Grant has made some serious improvements, and Sixers fans are excited to see what the third year will hold for Grant’s development, rightfully so.
One of the areas Grant improved most was defensively. He went from 1.0 blocks per game in his rookie year to 1.6 in his sophomore year. He became a lockdown defender who seems to be able to pick up any defender anywhere in the half court, and is truly explosive, bursting across the floor for some huge blocks every night.
His opponents’ shooting stats when Grant is guarding them prove his defensive worthiness. Overall, opponents shoot 4.2 percent worse with Grant guarding them. Within 10 feet of the rim opponents shoot 7.4 percent worse, and within 6 feet of the rim, they shoot 6.7 percent worse. If he puts in some work and can make those numbers even better, he will have a solid shot at the award.
Kawhi Leonard, who won the award last year, forced his opponents to shoot 5.6 percent worse overall, including 8.6 percent worse from within 10 feet and 7.0 percent worse from within 6 feet.
Grant’s blocks were some of the most exciting to watch from the Sixers last season. Looking at the roster the team is putting together for this year, there aren’t many solid defenders, especially not defenders who can hold their own in the key. This will leave the door open for Grant to be one of the biggest defenders on the team.
The way things are shaping up, it looks as if the Sixers will roll out a starting five with Nerlens Noel at the center, Ben Simmons at the power forward, and then Robert Covington or Dario Saric at the small forward slot. Nerlens is a great rim protector, but when he’s off of the floor, and the Sixers have Jahlil Okafor playing center, (a player who hasn’t been great on defense by any means) they’re going to need someone like Grant to step up.
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Because of that duty and that exposure, if Grant can have a huge year defensively, he may end up being one of the leading contenders for the Defensive Player of the Year Award. This award is typically reserved for more of a big man center (or Kawhi Leonard) who can rack up block after block and protect the rim, but if Grant can be a lock down defender all over the floor, he could potentially prove to the voting committee that he’s worthy of the award.
Since the Sixers will have a bit more attention on them next year with five nationally televised games, it would make sense for Grant to get more exposure as well, and become a fan favorite around the league.
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Grant is often overlooked as a solid player because he does have some offensive issues. By no means is he a solid scoring option, but the truth is that he’s not horrendous either. Grant shot 42 percent from the field last season, and averaged 9.7 points per game. His defense is his best quality, and if he keeps working on all areas of his game, he’s going to be a solid player and a solid relief player as the Sixers look to get competitive in coming seasons.