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2015 NBA Draft: Notre Dame G Jerian Grant

By Michael Whitlow

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If the Chicago Bulls keep the No. 22 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, there’s many issues they can address to start Fred Hoiberg’s rookie campaign. One option could be drafting a versatile point guard to take the load off Derrick Rose. Hello, Jerian Grant.

In December of 2013, Jerian Grant’s rise in the college ranks came to a screeching stop.

During his redshirt junior season with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Grant was ruled academically ineligible and missed the remainder of the 2013-14 season.

Oddly enough, Grant being kicked off the team due to an “academic matter” was probably the best thing that’s ever happened to him.

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Not only did Grant come back with a vengeance in 2014-15, he and the Irish won the ACC Tournament title and took the mighty Kentucky Wildcats to the final possession during the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament.

Without Jerian Grant, the Irish aren’t even close to among the nation’s best teams this past season, and a big reason why is because of Grant versatility and dynamic play in the backcourt.

Don’t believe me? Just ask this year’s national champs how dynamic Grant can be in big-time situations.

He pulled that from the outskirts of South Bend.

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Jerian Grant is a 6-foot-5 killer at the point guard position when he gets into a groove. Scouts love his size (6’5″, 198 lbs.) at the lead guard spot, and what makes Grant so good is his ability to do it all for an offense.

In his senior season with the Irish, where the 22-year-old made First Team All-America, Grant averaged 16.5 points per contest, shot 47.8 percent from the floor, and dished out 6.6 assists per game, which led the Athletic Coast Conference.

Per the guys at DraftExpress, Grant averaged 7.3 assists per a 40-minute pace, which ranks fourth among DX’s top 100 NBA Draft prospects.

The key to Grant’s success offensively was his ability to take over games offensively in the pick-and-roll. Not many guards in this year’s class are as good in the PnR as Jerian Grant.

Watch him going right into Jahlil Okafor‘s chest in this PnR with Notre Dame’s Zach Auguste as the screener. That’s potentially the No. 1 overall pick in the class.

The concerns with Grant’s game lie on the defensive end. Irish head coach Mike Brey‘s teams are always one of the nation’s best on the offensive end, but won’t wow you on the defensive end. (Sound familiar, Bulls fans?)

With Grant’s size, he does have the potential to become a solid defender on the perimeter as the years pass, but it’s going to take a much better effort from him defensively at the next level.

From Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress:

"Grant has a difficult time fighting through screens and isn’t physical enough overall using his body to wall off opponents, both on the perimeter in the post. He doesn’t show great urgency on this end of the floor, not always getting in a defensive stance, relying too much on his terrific instincts and anticipation skills in the passing lanes. Grant averaged 1.7 steals per-40 minutes over the course of his career, a very nice rate, but was incredibly underwhelming on the glass for a player his size, posting just 3.3 rebounds per-40."

If this was a Tom Thibodeau-coached team, there’s no way you’d see Grant in a Bulls uniform. But, it’s a new regime, and if Grant’s sitting there at No. 22, I’d be ecstatic to see what Jerian Grant can do under Fred Hoiberg.

Personal thoughts: I watched a lot of Notre Dame this past season, and they were tremendous on the offensive end. Grant’s backup, Demetrius Jackson, could very well find himself in the lottery during the 2016 NBA Draft. Wisconsin may have beat Kentucky in the Final Four, but the blueprint was laid by Notre Dame the game prior, and Grant helped write it with his play.

Next: Should the Bulls trade the 22nd pick in the 2015 NBA Draft?

Grant has room to grow just like any other player in this draft class, and I think in Chicago’s new system with Hoiberg, he could really flourish under a coach who relies on his perimeter stars to set up the rest of the offense.

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