National Basketball Association

Jerian Grant Has Something to Prove

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The upcoming weekend is a full slate of preseason games for the Chicago Bulls, three games in four days, and Jerian Grant has a lot of work to do if he wants to secure a position in the rotation during the regular season.

In June, Jerian Grant was brought to Chicago as part of the Derrick Rose-Robin Lopez trade. Sure, it boiled down to being “the Derrick Rose trade,” but the return of Lopez was definitely the big get for the Bulls. And yet, grabbing Grant seemed like a huge win. He was supposed to be the first-round pick that hadn’t had his chance with the Knicks, and his Snake Pleskin-esque escape from New York was deemed a huge coup. Chicago had dumped the Rose contract, adding their new starting center and a high-upside point guard.

Except the upside doesn’t like very high right now. And this isn’t meant to be an overreaction, he’s only had three games in a Bulls uniform. However, he didn’t look great in the Las Vegas league this summer. And now he doesn’t look good during the preseason.

For all the praises heaped on Grant, the talk about how Chicago wanted to draft him last year and how excited they were to get him in a Bulls jersey, he just hasn’t done much with the opportunity. Through three games, he is averaging 12.8 minutes per game with a stat line of four points, 2.3 assists and 1.7 turnovers.

It isn’t ugly, but it is being overshadowed. Spencer Dinwiddie has been trying to make a statement in camp. He’s getting more minutes, scoring more points, and shooting better than Grant. They match up on turnovers and Grant is actually getting more assists per game, despite playing about four fewer minutes.

Why does this seem like such a big deal? It probably boils down to contracts and expectations. Spencer Dinwiddie was brought in via trade for Cameron Bairstow. If they didn’t execute this trade, Bairstow was going to be waived. Turning that into Dinwiddie was a particularly impressive play for a Bulls front office that has seemed slothful and dull. Of course, he was then waived, abruptly appeared at summer league, and then received a training camp invite. Now, he’s played himself into a position where it would be an absolutely shock if he doesn’t make the final 15-man roster for Chicago.

Grant was the opposite. He was brought in through the Rose trade and was, unfairly, grouped as a guard replacement for Rose. Even if not as a starter, it felt like the expectation was there. Because he was a first-round pick, because he is a Grant, because he played the same position as a former No. 1 pick who went on to be Rookie of the Year and MVP as a Bull. He wasn’t waived, he wasn’t cut, he has a guaranteed contract.

Dinwiddie and Grant will be both on the roster and both will have plenty of time to prove that they deserve their spot in the league, but Grant will have something to prove headed into this weekend if he wants to secure a significant role heading into the regular season.