Considering his 6-foot-8 frame is about 80 percent legs, Dad was an instant giveaway Monday morning. Up the steps from the Washington Wizards’ practice court in Verizon Center, Harvey Grant leaned on a rail and watched his son, Jerian, work the floor on which he used to practice.
Harvey Grant spent seven years with Washington, six with the Bullets and one with the Wizards, after being drafted 12th overall in 1988. He spent his second stint with the Wizards in Verizon Center. Jerian was just a 4-year-old when his father returned to D.C., far from being a versatile 6-foot-5 point guard expected to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft on June 25.
On Monday, Jerian Grant was one of six players the Wizards brought in for predraft workouts. The first-team All-American ran three-on-three drills against second-team All-American Delon Wright of Utah, an equally lanky point guard.
The Wizards’ staff lined railings and courtside seats to watch. General manager Ernie Grunfeld and coach Randy Wittman stood together. Assistant coaches sat courtside and others worked the drills. A year after not having a first-round selection, the Wizards enter the draft with the 19th pick. Draft soothsayers believe Jerian Grant could be available when that selection pops up.
Grant feels his family’s strong association with the Association is a benefit for him. His father played 11 seasons. His uncle, Horace, played 17 seasons. His younger brother, Jerami, just finished his rookie season with the Philadelphia 76ers.
“I’ve been around the game, especially the NBA game, my whole life,” Grant said.
Grant, 22, was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, and played at DeMatha Catholic High School. He said being drafted by the Wizards would be “fun.” Often, players want to move on from where they were raised — whether that’s with a college choice or pro team — but Grant said he would be comfortable playing in the area. Playing four seasons at Notre Dame could serve as escapism were he to end up in Washington.
“I’m mature,” Grant said. “It’s not going to bother me too much having my family around.”
The hometown stop was Grant’s fifth predraft workout. The Indiana Pacers, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and Phoenix Suns already put him through drills. He said most teams are touting his playmaking ability, and that he feels he is among the draft’s top playmakers thanks to his height at point guard.
These conversations could have been had last year at this time, but Grant returned to Notre Dame instead of declaring for the draft. In December 2013, he was ruled academically ineligible and withdrew from Notre Dame for the spring semester. He said Monday he was close to entering the draft at that time. A desire to finish his degree, plus a chance to give the league a full season to vet his skillset, brought him back to campus.
Playing in pick-and-rolls throughout his time at Notre Dame should benefit him upon entrance into a pick-and-roll-heavy league. Grant also feels staying at Notre Dame for five years has him prepared to contribute off the bench right away for whichever team drafts him. The majority of his skills have been created, which is a positive and detriment during a draft obsessed with projections.
The Wizards do have a need for a long-term backup point guard behind John Wall. They also need young help at power forward and on the wing.
Joining Grant and Wright for the workout were Washington native Darian Hooker, a point guard from NYIT and last year’s leading scorer in Division II, as well as Stanford center Stefan Nastic, UMass center Cady Lalanne and West Virginia center Juwan Staten. Washington will host another crop of prospects on Tuesday.
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
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