The Detroit Pistons may have the league’s most improved player in Jerami Grant.
The Detroit Pistons are only nine games into the season but it already looks like they made a smart choice with Jerami Grant.
The versatile forward has been fantastic since joining the Detroit Pistons as a free agent, and it has been nice to see the Pistons get one of these right for once.
Grant is one of the many players in the NBA who just needed more minutes and a bigger role to show what he can do.
He was the 4th or 5th option on the Denver Nuggets but now Grant is looking like a superstar after putting up another efficient 31 points and 10 rebounds against the Suns.
Right now he’s the best player on a bad team, which is not his ultimate role, but it has given him the chance to put up huge numbers that are starting to get some attention.
Jerami Grant is making his case for the Most Improved Player award.
Let’s take a look at the numbers.
Detroit Pistons: Jerami Grant’s case for Most Improved Player
Generally, the MIP Award is either given to a guy who suddenly blows up with more minutes (Pascal Siakam) or a guy who starts better using the minutes he was already being given (Brandon Ingram).
Grant is a little bit of both, as he is not only playing the most minutes of his career but is doing a lot more with them.
Grant is averaging 24.8 points per game, exactly double his average from last season and is only playing ten more minutes per game.
Grant is getting 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, numbers that put him in elite category for players scoring more than 22 points per game.
Grant is 19th overall in scoring (as of the writing of this), just behind Lebron James and ahead of guys like Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis and Devin Booker.
Grant is 5th overall for all forwards in scoring behind only Ingram, LeBron, Jayson Tatum and Giannis Antetokounmpo, not bad company to be in.
When you consider his versatility on defense, his usage, 3-point shooting and rebounding, Grant is putting together one of best best all-around seasons of any forward so far.
There is a lot of season to go, but if Jerami Grant keeps this up, he might take home some hardware.