The Bulls of Summer: Jerian Grant
On Thursday, the Chicago Bulls announced their Las Vegas Summer League roster. The list of 11 players includes several players who are expected to play a significant role for the Bulls now and in the future along with a handful of longshots and D-League bound fringe ballers.
The Bulls will play at least five games in Las Vegas between July 9 and July 18, the first three games are already scheduled, beginning with a matchup on July 9 against the Boston Celtics.
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A lot of people may be familiar with names like Bobby Portis or Denzel Valentine, but not everyone knows players like Tre Demps. Over the next few days we will give you the 4-1-1 on each of the players on the Bulls roster for Summer League.
Who: Jerian Grant
Position: Guard
Age: 23
Background: We’ve already touched on Grant a little bit this off-season. He was a rookie for the New York Knicks in 2015-16 and is the nephew of famous Chicago Bull Horace Grant.
Jerian was traded to the Bulls, along with Jose Calderon and Robin Lopez, for Derrick Rose. There is definite gap between the player Rose once was and what Grant has shown so far, but Rose is also a shadow of his MVP self.
There is a real unknown quantity of what Grant might yet become if given the opportunity. His first season was played under the coaching of Derek Fischer and Kurt Rambis, not exactly an ideal growth environment. His rookie numbers show that he was below average on offensive rating (97) and mediocre on defense (108) per 100 possessions via Basketball Reference statistics.
In his rookie season, he proved to be a poor 3-point shooter who fared significantly better inside the arc. He averaged 16.6 minutes per game in 76 appearances, starting 6 of those games. His numbers look much better when adjusted per 36 minutes, but as a backup guard who is bound to fill that same role in his second season for the Bulls behind Rajon Rondo, he isn’t likely to have a chance to get 36 minutes per game any time soon.
Next: Bulls Pick the Slow Lane
Outlook: Summer League is going to be huge for Grant. While he won’t see 36 minutes per game for the pro squad, he could see an extended run of minutes in Vegas. They will want to get a really good look at Grant to determine his ability to run the offense. While Fred Hoiberg is turning over the coaching duties to top assistant Pete Myers, the emphasis will be on Grant’s ability to pace-and-space along with drive-and-kick. These are the two areas where the Bulls have hinted they want their guards to be excellent.
One drawback is going to be his 3-point shooting. He didn’t take a lot of shots from deep in 2015-16, but it is pretty dire back there. They don’t need him to chuck during the LVSL because that would be a disruption of their system and not what they are looking for. Instead, they need him to demonstrate the ability to manage the game and buoy the team while Rondo sits or is suspended or ejected.
Hopefully, Grant will show great game management skills and can work on improving his 3-point shooting. No matter how it turns out, the Bulls are high on Grant since they elected to keep his contract and waived fellow point guard Spencer Dinwiddie. Grant is one of the primary Bulls players to keep an eye on in Las Vegas.