Jerami Grant cemented himself last season as the go-to guy for the Detroit Pistons and a bonafide starter and has kept it going this season for the most part.
He is a threat on both ends and has helped Cade Cunningham carry what is otherwise a hopeless team. Last season, the only area of complaint was his rebounding. Other than that, he was and is a good, solid, all-around player who emerged as the veteran leader on a young team with aspirations in the near future.
His last five games have shown that he can be an all around-weapon, as he has improved in some areas of weakness from last season. This season his numbers have been close to his near All-Star numbers last year, but he’s been sharing the ball more, and with the addition of Cunningham has had less pressure to win on his own.
Will Jerami Grant ever be a good rebounder? The last 5 games are a good sign
This season, rebounding is still an area he’s struggled in. His 4.7 rebounds per game still place him 85th of 130 out of all forwards who have started at least a game at the position. He is 31st in the entire league in scoring and is 112th in the league in shooting percentage, although that number includes several players who only get garbage time minutes. He is only averaging 2.5 assists per game, which could stand to improve, but as a power forward there are larger concerns.
The main concern is his rebounding and overall lack of aggressive play. His rebounding and overall defense have not improved. His rebounding remains stagnant at just 4.7 a game, and his defensive rating has moved from 113.9 last season to 110.1 this season, which is still below the league average.
There has been some recent improvement. Over his last five games, his rebounding numbers have gone up to six per game. His defensive numbers have dropped slightly, but given that the Detroit Pistons played the Bucks, both Los Angeles teams, the Blazers, and Heat during that time that’s not surprising. All of those teams are in the playoff hunt, so perhaps the Pistons were simply out of their league.
It’s a small sample size, but the last five games Jerami Grant has been better on the boards against some top NBA teams. If he can continue putting up better all-around numbers, the Detroit Pistons will feel more comfortable signing him to a long-term deal, but it’s still possible that Grant will be on the move.