Is Jerian Grant a Fit at Pick 14 for the Thunder?

Prospect: Jerian Grant

School: Notre Dame

DOB: 10/9/1992 (22 years old)

If Grant were a couple years younger, he would all but be a lock for the lottery, and perhaps even challenge for the top combo guard in the upcoming NBA Draft. He will however be 23 years old before the start of the next season.

Here are his stats from last season.

Here are his adjusted per 40 stats.

Strengths

Size

Grant is more than capable of playing either guard position, as he stands at 6-5/200lbs. Grant can bully smaller guards, and also has the wingspan (6'7.5") to be a more than adequate defender.

Athleticism

Grant is underrated athlete who can excel in transition and has the ability to take his defenders off the dribble. He would fit in an uptempo system very easily at the next level.

Passing Ability

Grant averaged nearly 7 assists per game in spite of sharing point guard duties with junior to be Demetrius Jackson (who will definitely play in the NBA). With the NBA moving to offenses that are predicated more on the pass, Grant would be a valuable asset to almost any team.

Weaknesses

Shooting

Grant is more a volume shooter as he averaged over 11 shots per game. He has the reputation for being a "chucker" who stuffs a stat sheet by simply taking more shots than anyone else.

Age

Grant will be 23 before the start of next season. While this isn't a deal breaker, it does mean Grant will basically be the same age as Roberson, Kanter, Lamb, and Waiters. As an older prospect, Grant probably has less room for growth moving forward.

Needs Ball in His Hands

Grant is much more successful when he is creating the offense, which could make it difficult for him to share the floor with Durant and Westbrook. Because of this, Grant might be more ideally suited for the 2nd unit.

Final Thoughts

Grant has a much higher floor than many of the other players in the class of 2015. Because of his age, he is viewed as a safe pick. NBA teams can project a player like Grant's impact much more easily than a player like Kelly Oubre. This would also lead one to assume that Grant could much more quickly make an impact in the NBA as a rotation player and possibly as a 6th man.

While his floor is high, he also most likely has a much lower ceiling. While Grant, could prove everyone wrong, his future growth as a player is much smaller than some of the other players the Thunder would have a chance with at pick 14.

This is not necessarily bad, as a player who is ready to play and could help next year, could help a team like the Thunder who are built to win now.

With Grant, the Thunder would have to choose whether they would draft a player who could make a quicker impact, or gamble on a player who could have a much higher upside.

I am firmly in the roll the dice category in this draft. This pick wasn't supposed to even exist for the Thunder this year. Why not try and hit the jackpot?