Exit Interview: OKC Thunder MIP Jerami Grant hints at possible role change
By Alex Mcewen
Of all the assets on the OKC Thunder, Jerami Grant easily was the Most Improved Player on the roster. In his exit interview, he highlighted his tremendous growth.
During the failed Carmelo Anthony experiment, no single player was held back more than Jerami Grant. With Melo in the rear-view mirror, and a short stint of Patrick Patterson occupying the OKC Thunder starting power forward spot.
Three games into the 2018-19 campaign, Grant was inserted into the starting lineup, and he excelled from that point onward.
Grant’s emergence as an overall player and especially as a shooter was vital for the Thunder’s ascendance particularly down the stretch as the team fought for playoff seeding.
With so little financial flexibility and barring a trade Jerami Grant represents one of the most economical contracts on the roster. Although Grant was always viewed as another athletic, defensive asset, his value skyrocketed this season with his offensive growth.
And, there is every reason to feel confident another solid effort committed this offseason will result in his offensive contributions increasing next year.
In Games 4 and 5 of the first round series, Grant played 20 out of a possible 24 minutes in the fourth quarter. Comparatively, fellow starter Steven Adams did not step on the floor in the two most pivotal fourth quarters of the season.
Perhaps, Billy D felt going with a smaller lineup with Grant at the five offered OKC more versatility or an edge on Portland. That said, the overriding fact is while Grant did play well and should have been on the court it’s curious the player earning $25-million per season wasn’t on the hardwood as well.
Jerami Grant will work on all aspects of his game this offseason: consistency of his shooting, ball handling & defense & says "he thinks" he'll remain at the PF position. (teaser of small ball OKC lineup?) #ThunderUp
— Thunderous Intentions (@thunderousint) April 25, 2019
Creature of habit
"It’s tough. Season kind of ends abruptly. So you got to wind down a little bit, take a couple days off, a week off, something like that, and just get back into it, right back into it. I try not to take too much time off, though, so I can stay in the groove of things."
This is another example of a championship mentality. Not to imply NBA players do not need time off, everyone deserves a vacation from their job. However, athletes must take care of themselves differently than an average accountant. The mindset to stay in the groove and be ready to come into training camp, rather than use the exhibition season to get in shape, says a lot about the current NBA landscape, just listen to former players discuss their routine for more analysis.
What OKC Thunder are missing to be a true contender
"Just consistency, I think. That’s the thing we’ve been struggling with throughout the year. We’ll be on for ten games and then be off a couple. So I think that’s something we’ve got to figure out this off-season."
The OKC Thunder desperately need more consistency heading into the 2019-20 campaign. In the annual Thunderous Intentions Playoff Roundtable, I highlighted how lack of consistency would be Oklahoma City’s downfall; apparently, JG agrees.
How the coaching staff influenced his development?
"Yeah, I think the coaches, Billy, all of them, they did a good job of just putting me in situations where I can thrive. I think they’ve been doing that since I got here. So it’s definitely good."
Hinting at a larger move?
"Yeah, I think so. We’ll see, though.Well, we don’t know if my role is going to be the same next year. We’ll see. We’ll see how things go."
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The two above quotes are from two different questions regarding JG’s role on the team, and how it has fluctuated. Obviously, Grant will remain a starter, so what could possibly change? If the Thunder deal starting center Steven Adams, JG could slide to the center position and OKC would transition to the future of small-ball.
Perhaps, JG simply wanted to play coy, his agent could have heard murmurs of a deal coming further increasing his client’s role, or perchance Oklahoma City was straight up with JG and told him to prepare to play more minutes at center.
Which would be a massive adjustment for the former product out of Syracuse; due to the fact, JG played a staggering one-percent of his minutes at the center position during the course of the 2018-19 campaign.
Maybe it’s something, or perchance it’s nothing. Regardless, his comments piqued my interest, OKC’s activity on the trade market will be intriguing to monitor as the offseason moves along.
Next. 3 reasons why the Thunder shouldn’t trade Steven Adams. dark
In conclusion, it appears Grant will be an integral part of the Thunder franchise. Which is a good call, because he is a combo of a do it all and glue guy. Therefore, to use a Sam Presti phrase JG will be a core member of the foundation moving forward.