Jerian Grant is struggling to find the point guard’s versatility

Jerian Grant looks like a perfect fit for the Orlando Magic and the team they are building. But he has to take advantage of his own versatility.

When Jerian Grant entered the draft after a successful run with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, his talent was enough to intrigue. His four years in college saw him dominate in scoring, averaging no fewer than 12 points per game and 5.0 assists per game.

His senior year saw him average 16.5 points per game and 6.7 assists per game. He shot 47.8 percent from the floor and a 53.6 percent effective field goal percentage. The Fighting Irish went 32-6.

But Grant’s position was never settled. He played point guard but had future NBA picks Demetrius Jackson and Pat Connaughton playing alongside him. Mike Brey let Grant run the show, but he was a tweener. The kind of versatile player that should have value in the NBA.

Grant slipped to 19th in the NBA Draft. Likely a product of him staying for five years in college (he redshirted his true freshman year) and suffering an injury that limited him to 12 games his junior year. Grant was meant to be a more fully formed player. And the NBA tends to overlook upperclassmen who seem at the end of their development curve.

That he struggled in his first year with the New York Knicks was a bit of a surprise. He was not the best shooter even in college and still had to grasp the finer points of running a team. Inconsistent playing time did not help either.

The New York Knicks shipped him to the Chicago Bulls, and he experienced much the same difficulty. He could not get off the bench or get much consistency.

Last year marked the most consistent role and playing time of his career. He played more than 20 minutes per game for the first time in his career. There he averaged a career-best 8.4 points per game and 4.6 assists per game.

Still, plenty of issues plagued him. He was not a great shooter still — 32.4 percent and a 47.5 percent effective field goal percentage. That remains the part of his game that holds him back. His playing time and his production remained largely inconsistent.

Grant seemed like a player still fighting to stay in the rotation.

But undoubtedly, Grant fits a type the Orlando Magic have looked for at every position. At the NBA Draft Combine, Grant measured at 6-foot-4 with a 6-foot-7.25 wingspan. A solid differential for a tweener guard. But nothing Earth-shattering either. If he can play point guard he would have both the height and length to have an advantage over most players.

The talent and potential in him still remain even as he comes to the end of his rookie contract. There is something to believe in if he can put all the pieces together.

The question now becomes what will the Magic do for him?

It is pretty clear at this point Grant could get the largest role of his career in Orlando. He is slotted as the backup point guard for the moment. It is probably the first time he has entered the year looking at some serious playing time.

It is a huge opportunity for Grant. One that he has rarely been afforded.

He had a stretch of 11 games from Jan. 20 to Feb. 12 where he started every game and averaged 12.2 points per game and 6.6 assists per game. He hit 51.6 percent of his 3-pointers. Grant can clearly go through these stretches of inspired play.

But his average looks more like the averages he has put up his entire career. Solid, but unspectacular play that tracks with his minutes. And an inconsistent shot to boot.

Straightening that out will likely determine just how much he can grow and expand his game. But watching him play and it is easy to see why  Jeff Weltman and John Hammond like it. As a point guard, he is just bigger than everyone.

At his best, like in the video above, he is able to use his length and vision to pass over and around the defense. It is hard to defend someone like him since he can see over the top of smaller players.

Just like the Magic are trying to find versatile, multi-position players, Grant fits that. Or he could potentially. The glimpses like the ones he showed in the clip above are there. But they are just glimpses. His production has not matched that talent.

Nowhere is that seemingly more prevalent than on defense.

It is on defense where his length and athleticism should make him a strong player. But he has not made the impact many would have expected.

In college, for instance, Sports-Reference calculates Grant was a slightly above-average defender, with a 0.9 defensive box plus-minus his senior year. But the NBA has seen him struggle on that end in several metrics. He has had a negative box plus-minus in each of his three seasons, bottoming out at -1.8 last year.

That is not the best metric for many reasons. Perhaps defensive impact might be a stronger metric to examine.

Orlando Magic

On on/off-court numbers, the Bulls had a 109.3 defensive rating with Grant on the court. Their overall defensive rating was 109.1. With Grant off the court, it was at about 108.9. At least within the confines of that team, Grant had a marginal defensive impact.

It seems then the Magic are hoping to put Grant in an environment that can cover a bit more for his defensive shortcomings. By adding another player who can potentially switch on the perimeter could ease his burden defensively or allow him to fit more comfortably into a defensive scheme. It might simply be he will do better with better defenders like Jonathan Isaac or Mohamed Bamba or even Khem Birch around him.

The picture for Grant is one that is a hard one to pin down. Some because of a lack of a defined role or an opportunity and some because he has not quite stepped up to the occasion.

That is part of the problem with the emphasis on versatility over skill.

Physical attributes can give a player more potential. But it can also lead to poor direction. Teams may not know what to do with a player or how to develop them because they have such a wide array of skills. Or they might simply be able to skate by on their talent and physical gifts.

That is not necessarily the case with Grant. He was a solid contributor for four years at Notre Dame before coming to the NBA. And he has had time to develop those skills in the league for three years now. He has shown the ability to allow it to click into place on several occasions. But not consistently yet.

It seems like Grant is still looking to find his fit. He may be a player that needs some space and the right system around him to work.

It remains unclear if the Magic will be able to get the most from him in the end.

Grant is clearly not a good enough shooter to spend too much time playing off the ball. His shooting is streaky at best. But he still struggles to make good on his size advantage on either end to be a point guard.

This tug and this search for his best fit will likely define his contract year with the Magic. Orlando, at least, seems willing to give him a defined role and a chance to prove his worth to them.