Jerami Grant up and down in his return to the Detroit Pistons
Jerami Grant has been the subject of trade rumors for weeks but it was nice to see him back on the court for the Pistons.
The offense was better without Grant, so there were some worries that his presence would undo some of the positives that were evolving in his absence.
Grant took two long contested two-point shots to start the game, almost as a middle finger to the fans who were complaining about his iso-ball on social media all day. It actually made me laugh.
He did some nice things off the ball, especially in the second quarter, where he scored the final 10 points and picked up the Pistons’ offense when it was struggling.
This is the good and bad of Jerami Grant: He is going to take some frustrating shots at times, hold the ball too much and slow the ball movement.
On the flip side, he’s one of the only Pistons who can consistently get his own shot, and he helps the offense by getting to the line, getting the other team in foul trouble and occasionally getting hot from 3-point range.
I thought his first game back was positive overall and that he was showing a willingness to adjust his game and defer to Cunningham more in the first half before Cade went out.
But once Cunningham was out, the ball stopped moving, the Pistons took few quality shots and they scored just 14 points in the final quarter to blow a double-digit lead.
I don’t know if we learned much from last night, but the Pistons don’t have time on their side, as the trade deadline is approaching soon and they will have to make a decision on whether Grant is part of the future.