The 2022 NBA Draft, Jerami Grant and the Detroit Pistons
Jerami Grant seems to have a great relationship with GM Troy Weaver, as Grant reportedly chose the Pistons over the Nuggets because he wanted to play for a “Black coach and Black GM in a Black city” according to our friend James Edwards III.
It’s going to a take a Godfather offer for Weaver to break up with Grant, as this is the kind of guy he wants to build around: Grant is versatile, hard-working, plays on both ends and actually wants to be in Detroit.
Weaver has talked a lot about character, work ethic and versatility and Grant embodies all of those things. Also, the NBA has embraced position-less basketball where two-way wings are the most valuable players, so why not just hoard a bunch of them and see what happens?
Let’s say the Pistons end up with Paolo Banchero in the draft, are we sure they wouldn’t be the Eastern Conference’s surprise team next season?
- Cade Cunningham
- Saddiq Bey
- Jerami Grant
- Paolo Banchero
- Deandre Ayton/Mitchell Robinson/Isaiah Stewart etc…
I threw a few different options in there at center just to give an idea of what it could look like. I get that Bey is not a shooting guard and Grant is probably not a small forward, but who cares? This team would be long, versatile, athletic and have the kind of play-making wings that every team now covets.
Call me crazy, but I’d prefer something like this to most of the deals I’ve seen floated around, which bring back more “potential” and “hope,” but little actual NBA talent.
Sub in Jabari Smith or Chet Holmgren and you have a similarly versatile squad that would be fun as hell to watch and might actually make some noise in the East and still have room to grow.