Portland Trail Blazers star Jerami Grant is loving life early on in the Pacific Northwest. After an offseason trade to the organization, he's set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. However, it appears Grant is already trending towards staying long-term with the Blazers.
After erupting for a career-high 44 points against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Friday, the former Detroit Piston had this to say.
“I’m satisfied right now,” Grant said. “I’m really happy with what we’re doing. We’ll just talk about it when it comes.”
The Blazers have an intriguing core with Jerami Grant, Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons, and Jusuf Nurkic. Even though Lillard has missed time, Chauncey Billups' group is still sitting at 11-9 on the season, with Grant playing a big part. He's averaging 21.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists while shooting a blistering 48% from downtown.
Grant spoke out on how being the main man in Detroit and having to take a lot of tough shots from deep has prepared him for a new role in Portland:
“It definitely helped me to prepare for this,” Grant said when reflecting on his time with the Pistons. “Being the No. 1 option and seeing a lot of different coverages, defenses, and double-teams made this a lot easier for me. I’m thankful for my time there. I grew as a player. Now, I’m kind of reaping the benefits.”
The Blazers have big aspirations in the West and it won't be easy to fulfill them, but having a budding star like Jerami Grant certainly helps. It simply comes down to Dame in particular staying healthy and leading the way.