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2019 Orlando Magic Player Outlook: Jerian Grant

By Philip Rossman-Reich

SACRAMENTO, CA - FEBRUARY 05: Jerian Grant #2 of the Chicago Bulls looks on against the Sacramento Kings during an NBA basketball game at Golden 1 Center on February 5, 2018 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - FEBRUARY 05: Jerian Grant #2 of the Chicago Bulls looks on against the Sacramento Kings during an NBA basketball game at Golden 1 Center on February 5, 2018 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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Jerian Grant, Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls, Shelvin Mack
CHICAGO, USA – DECEMBER 20: Jerian Grant (2) of Chicago Bulls in action during an NBA basketball match between Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic at United Center in Chicago, Illinois, United States on December 20, 2017.(Photo by Bilgin S. Sasmaz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) /

Jerian Grant has sought opportunity and stability throughout his career and struggled to find it. The Orlando Magic seem ready to give him the chance.

Jerian Grant knows firsthand just how long it can take for someone to come out of their shell on a basketball court.

The De Matha High School graduate was a teammate of former Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo and saw Oladipo grow from a player growing into a high school star to an underrecruited bench player with the Indiana Hoosiers to the eventual second overall pick. And on from there from budding star to struggling role player to All-Star.

Grant knows that development can take some time. Not everyone comes out of school or wherever ready to be a star. There is always growth and development for a young player. They are constantly evolving.

Time can only last for so long. Contract realities come into play and teams lose patience in young players. They can struggle to find an opportunity and then get lost in the shuffle.

Grant has felt all of that. He has seen just how much hard work can build in a player and help them grow. But he has also seen just how difficult it can be to break through and find his way.

At the end of the day, Grant is not as good as his friend Oladipo. Oladipo has the athleticism edge on him even if Grant developed some of his skills faster. That has propelled Oladipo up draft boards and into the NBA’s upper stratosphere.

But Grant is still a talented player who has struggled to find consistent opportunity and to display his full talents and abilities at the NBA level. He followed up a solid career with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish with a mid-first round selection. Grant showed then he could score the ball, but he still needed to prove and develop his point guard skills.

Getting thrown into a chaotic scene with the New York Knicks and then scrounging for an opportunity with the Chicago Bulls — and the coaching changes that came with — did not help his development into the player he would need to be. Grant still has holes in his game. But he still has plenty of talent that is plain and evident to see.

Grant is still seeking the right opportunity to put it all together. Adding to the pressure is that he will enter the final year of his rookie contract this year. Grant is playing for his place in the NBA future.

At least it is on a team in desperate need of a point guard. The Orlando Magic should give Grant every chance to prove just how much he is worth.