Jerami Grant of the Detroit Pistons was placed in health and safety protocol yesterday, which may be a sign that his return is imminent.
His thumb is no longer listed on the injury report, which is hopefully a good sign that he’ll be ready to return as soon as he is cleared.
The Grant trade rumors have been swirling, and it is possible that he has already played his final game for Detroit, who is reportedly getting calls from half the league about trading for the versatile two-way forward.
But let’s assume for a minute that Jerami Grant isn’t traded (at least not right away) and instead the Pistons keep him around to either sign him long term or wait until the offseason to make move after they see what happens in the draft and free agency.
Detroit has been up and down without him, but guys like Saddiq Bey and Hamidou Diallo have ascended in his absence and the Pistons are scoring more points, playing at a faster pace, tallying more assists and winning at a higher clip.
There are myriad reasons for this, including the more-consistent play of Cade Cunningham, better contribution from veterans Trey Lyles and Cory Joseph and the aforementioned Bey and Diallo.
In order not to disrupt the good things that have happened in his absence and to show that he is a good fit with the young core, Jerami Grant is going to need to make some adjustments to his game.
Jerami Grant will need to play some small forward for the Detroit Pistons
One thing has become clear in Jerami Grant’s absence: Saddiq Bey is better suited to play power forward.
Bey is not quick enough to stay in front of some of the NBA’s swifter wings but has the strength and size to keep from getting pushed around by power forwards. His shooting and ability to put the ball on the floor are also more effective when he is going against bigger guys, so Grant needs to adjust.
The two will both be playing forward and in today’s position-less basketball it doesn’t really matter what you want to call them but Bey has thrived as the power forward and there is no reason to disrupt that when Grant might be better suited at the small forward anyway.