Oklahoma City Thunder player grades: Jerami Grant should be back with team

Full Name: Houston Jerami Grant

Contract Status: Grant is heading into the last season of a 4-year contract that he signed on September 29, 2014. The 2017-2018 year on the deal is a team option.

Player History:

• Acquired: The Philadelphia 76ers traded Jerami Grant to the Thunder in exchange for Ersan Illyasova and a 2020 1st round draft pick. The 2020 first round pick is Top-20 protected and turns into 2022 and 2023 second round picks if not conveyed.
• College: Syracuse
• Age: 23
• Years Pro: 2
• NBA Debut: November 29, 2014
• Position: Small Forward

2016-2017 Player Statistics (Between 76ers and Thunder):

• Games Played: 80
• Minutes Per Game: 19.1
• Points Per Game: 5.5
• Rebounds Per Game: 2.6
• Assists Per Game: 0.6
• Blocks Per Game: 1.0
• Field Goal %: 46.3 percent
• Three Point %: 37.1 percent
• Free Throw %: 61.2 percent
• Player Efficiency Rating: (10.1)

Regular Season Grade: C+

Jerami Grant was an interesting acquisition for the Thunder. He was playing very well for the Philadelphia 76ers, when his old team decided to deal him. While his production did go down once he came over, Grant proved to the Thunder that he needs to be brought back. OKC has a plethora of inside scoring talent but they are missing a ton on the defensive end in the paint. Grant proved he can bring that to the team.

He averaged 1.0 blocks per game and posted a 0.9 defensive box plus/minus last season, proving he was an above average defensive player. The value that Grant brings to OKC is on the defensive end.

On offense, Grant averaged 5.6 points per game and posted a -3.0 offensive box plus/minus, proving he was a well-below average offensive player last season. Grant will need to become a better all-around player in order to excel in this league.

Grant gets a C+ because his defensiveness prowess outweighs his offensive woes.

Playoff Grade: B

Grant showed up to play in OKC’s first round matchup against the Houston Rockets. He did it in an uncharacteristic way as well, excelling on the offensive end. He averaged 9.2 points per game on a terrific 61.3 percent shooting. His player efficiency rating was above league average in the series well at 16.3.

He did a lot less on the defensive end in the series numbers wise but still showed up to play effective defense. The Thunder should be happy about what they got out of Grant in that series.

Future Expectations:

Grant has a future in the NBA as a role player. The Thunder have a tough decision to make this off-season, on whether to extend the team option for next season or let Grant test the free agent market. At the end of the day, Grant’s option will most likely be picked up and he will be back in a Thunder uniform next season. Look for him to make an impact on the defensive end once again for OKC in 2017-2018.

Grant showed he has the ability to make an impact but still has a lot of room for improvement

At 23-years-old, Grant is a very impressive talent but needs to improve his all-around game. He has the potential to be a starter on an NBA team at some point but needs to figure it out on the offensive end before he can expect that to happen. Look for Grant to come back a different player next season.