The Portland Trail Blazers have been as expected through the first two weeks of the season. A solid defensive squad with questions on the offensive end. Fortunately, the Blazers have been able to keep the scoreboard ticking over with contributions from Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, Jrue Holiday and Jerami Grant.
The latter, the hero of last night’s dying seconds, is the focus of today’s discussion. Through six games, the two-way forward has averaged 20.6 points on 41.6 percent shooting from three and
50.0 percent from the field. That last percentage has been particularly topical for the former Syracuse standout, who suffered through one of his worst offensive seasons in 2024-25.
While the 31-year-old still managed to contribute on the defensive side of the ball, his lack of offensive punch combined with the size of his five-year, $160 million deal, made many frustrated.
And for good reason. Grant averaged 14.4 points per game, on 37.3 percent from the field, only second lowest since his rookie year with the Philadelphia 76ers. His 1.05 points per shot attempt was the second lowest of his career (146th among bigs last season) and 46.7 percent effective field goal percentage was the third lowest of his career (151st among bigs). Even his 36.5 percent three-point rate was the lowest he’d achieved in Portland (97th among bigs).
I can only guess but the slump was also vexing for the Portland front office, which may or may not have been trying to move the veteran for positive assets. Grant himself thought he might be in different colors come the start of the season.
For someone who might have been worthy of a good first-round pick and positive young players in a trade, his deal became neutral at best following last season. Many called for the Blazers to move him regardless of the cost, some labeled him washed while others even suggested his remaining $102 million be bought out.
Though his form was concerning, I was confident in it being temporary, as I discussed in multiple columns on Blazer’s Edge this year.
“I have every confidence in the forward rediscovering his form.” – February 2
“I might be in the minority but while last season was objectively bad, Grant is still in his prime. There’s nothing stopping him from rediscovering a role as reliable scorer and above-average defender. Trade value shouldn’t dip that severely after one ordinary season when you consider his full body of work.” – June 15
“While Grant’s play could deteriorate further, there’s just as much chance he returns to his 2023-24 form.” – June 27.
It seemed ludicrous for a guy who has done what he has done, to just fall off a cliff at age 30. Despite the Blazers ritual of not playing him in late March and April, Grant’s body also holds relatively up well against the rigors of the marathon NBA season.
Let’s take a closer look at Grant’s return to form.
The turnaround
Through six games, Grant is a different proposition. Before last night’s game, he was hitting 1.45 points per shot attempt, third among bigs. His 63.8 effective field goal percentage was sixth among bigs and his 46.3 percent from three was first among bigs.
I’ll acknowledge the sample size is small, but it’s apparent Grant has renewed enthusiasm, able to score at all three levels while fronting up on the other end, often guarding at the point-of-attack. But why has the resurgence occurred?
Like all humans, we have our pride. Grant wouldn’t have been able escape his critics last season. Despite still playing above-average defense, his inefficiency scoring the ball was undeniably bad. I won’t, for a second, try to get inside his mind but there were a number of doubters he was challenged to prove wrong.
Another large contributor has been the way the Blazers are playing on the offensive side of the ball. As discussed last week, the Blazers have implemented new schemes, focusing on ball movement, synonymous with interim coach Tiago Splitter’s days with the San Antonio Spurs.
The new mantra is not only more pleasant to watch, it also has the added advantage of opening up space for versatile scorers to get creative. As mentioned, Grant’s biggest issue last season was scoring within the three-point arc — he couldn’t hit a two-pointer to save himself.
The space afforded to offensively minded players under the current Blazers system has freed the veteran up, giving him more room to get to the rim. Grant is taking almost double the amount of wide open field goals at 4.0 per game, than he was last season at 2.2.
There’s absolutely no doubt the new system allows him more space to score and I’ll be fascinated to see how that evolves throughout the season.
The bench role
The Blazers coaching staff have relocated Grant to the bench to give Shaedon Sharpe a chance to grow into the role they hope he owns one day. Some have said Grant’s resurgence has been a product of his pine relocation.
Grant is averaging nearly 28 minutes a night and a staple in finishing lineups. He’s also entering the game with eight or nine minutes still to play in the first quarter, which typically has him still facing the opposing starting five. Grant is still largely competing against primary units, which makes me think the resurgence would have occurred if he had remained a starter.
Grant is the next man up to return to the starting unit this season when/if one or both of Toumani Camara and Deni Avidja miss due to injury. I’d be supremely surprised if Grant’s numbers fall off on return to the starting unit.
Conclusion
Last season appears to have been an anomaly with Grant returning to the form we saw through his first two seasons with the franchise. I think a number of factors contributed to Grant’s slump. It may have been between the ears and above the shoulders, it may have been the style of game plan, it may have been him facing different coverages. Whatever the cause, it was nothing I feared would be irreversible.
I feel vindicated after sticking up for the veteran forward when things weren’t going as well. Jerami Grant has started the season playing like a guy earning $30-plus million a year, which is good for both he and the Blazers. If the franchise decides it wants to move the veteran at midseason, a productive and efficient Grant is likely to get them a more lucrative return without clogging up the team’s cap sheet.
If he stays, he’ll serve as fourth- or fifth-best scorer on a hopefully contending team. Regardless, I’ve long been a Jerami Grant fan and am glad for both him and the Blazers faithful that he’s rediscovered his offensive touch.
