Wizards select Jerian Grant at No. 19, reportedly trade him to Knicks
The Washington Wizards selected former Notre Dame guard Jerian Grant with the No. 19 pick and reportedly traded him to the New York Knicks as part of a three-team deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
In the deal, the Washington Wizards picked Grant on behalf of the Hawks, who agreed to deal Grant to the Knicks in exchange for Tim Hardaway Jr. Earlier in the draft, the Hawks used their No. 15 pick to select Kelly Oubre for the Wizards.
Grant, a four-year player for the Fighting Irish, averaged 16.5 points, 6.7 assists and 37.1 minutes per game during his senior season in 2014–15.
Notre Dame lost Grant's services during the 2013–14 season after just 12 games when he committed what the school termed "an academic mistake."
Grant pulled out of the school in late 2013 before re-enrolling the following year. Grant, whose brother Jerami was drafted in 2014 by the Philadelphia 76ers, was instrumental in Notre Dame's run to an ACC tournament championship, in which the team defeated the likes of North Carolina and Duke.
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Mannix's analysis: This pick is reportedly headed to New York, in a trade that will send Tim HardawayJr. to Atlanta. New York is going to love Grant. He’s flashy, confident and fearless. He put up big numbers in four years at Notre Dame and has the size and skills to be a solid defender. Is he a pure point guard? Unclear. Can he be a consistent shooter in an offense that needs its point guards to be shooters? Grant shot 35.4% from three last season. Interesting pick for New York.
Grade: B-
Strengths:Grant helped Notre Dame morph into one of the most efficient offenses in the country last season. Though he led the Irish in scoring, Grant was also the team’s best facilitator, posting an assist rate that ranked among the nation’s top 40. As capable as Grant is at setting up teammates, he is also as capable of creating his own looks. In 2014-15, he averaged more than 18 points per 40 minutes, adjusted for pace, and made better than 57% of his two-point attempts. Grant particularly excelled in transition last season, as he averaged more than 1.2 points per possession on those situations, according to Synergy Sports. In addition, his size projects well for an NBA point guard.
Weaknesses:While he established himself as a capable scorer and playmaker at Notre Dame, Grant doesn’t project as a top-flight long-range shooter. He connected on 34.5% of his three-point attempts during his time at Notre Dame, and only 31.6% during his senior season. Grant recorded one of the highest steal rates among ACC players during conference play in 2015 and has the potential to become a solid perimeter defender because of his size and athleticism, but he didn’t distinguish himself favorably on that end of the floor during his time at Notre Dame. Though Grant had more time to hone his game in college, he is 22 entering the draft—significantly older than many top prospects.
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