Getting to know Jerian Grant

Hardaway could find a nice niche on an Atlanta team that can offer him a narrower role and vastly more talented, coherent teammates. There were some signs of growth last year in his all-around game, but they were mostly incremental, and the drop-off in his outside shooting was hard to watch at times. He was a long way from the All-Rookie team player we saw in 2014 and the Knicks probably got back as much as they could have hoped for. But who did the Knicks get back?

Jerian Grant is 6'5", 204 pounds. He'll turn 23 shortly before the new season begins. His game is the polar opposite of Hardaway's, which is to say Grant does things. Lots of things. Last year he averaged 16.5 points, 6.6 assists, 3 rebounds and 1.7 steals for Notre Dame, leading the ACC in assists per game and assist percentage, as well as free throws made and attempted and win shares (Jahlil who?). Every year of his college career he averaged at least a steal and a half per 40 minutes. His height and wingspan (6'8") help him on both ends: when he's running the offense he can see over his man as passing lanes develop, and he has the length to disrupt passing lanes when he's defending.