Phoenix Suns: Draft Workouts Day 4 Recap
Jerian Grant
From the first week of draft workouts, Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant was easily the most high profile prospect. Expected to be a lottery or mid-first round pick, Grant is a 6’4″ combo guard with excellent size and length for his position.
Given what we know about the Suns’ affinity for combo guards and versatility in the backcourt, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Grand selected on draft day — especially given McDonough’s continuous comments about drafting for best available rather than need.
“I think Grant’s intriguing because he’s a combo guard, can play a little bit of the 1 and the 2, he had a very good career at Notre Dame, he shot the ball well,” McDonough said. “He comes from a good pedigree, a good basketball family, his brother’s in the league for the 76ers and his brother and his uncle obviously played a long time ago. We value that, we like the way Notre Dame plays, we like their style and we think it’s kind of how we play.”
Grant is the brother of Jerami Grant, who currently plays for the Philadelphia 76ers. He is also the son of Harvey Grant, who also played in the NBA, and the nephew of Horace Grant, a four-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers.
In his senior season, Jerian Grant led the Fighting Irish to a 32-6 record and the ACC championship. Notre Dame lost to the undefeated (at the time) Kentucky Wildcats in the Elite Eight by two points. Grant believes his ability to play with the ball and off the ball makes him a good fit in Phoenix.
“I know they like to get up and down and kind of have two point guards that can handle the ball, something that I’ve kind of played my whole life, so definitely a spot I can see myself fitting in,” he said.
Grant has already worked out for the Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets, with the Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets coming up. He says he’s banking on his intelligence and hard work improving his shot (particularly from the NBA three-point line) to pay off in the draft.
“I think I have a high basketball IQ. I really study the game, I’ve been around it my whole life, so just making the right plays, knowing what plays to make and how to take care of the ball I think is important.”
Next: Olivier Hanlan