Michigan State tried everything it could to stop Jerian Grant, but nothing was working.
Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant is making his case as the best guard in the country
The 22-year-old has returned for the Irish, and he’s off to an incredible start in his senior season.
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Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Tom Izzo tried to match Grant's quickness with point guard Travis Trice, but Grant simply muscled his way to the basket for a layup. Izzo tried to put wing Denzel Valentine on him, but Grant was able to break down the defense and find an open shooter. Izzo even called for star Brandon Dawson to draw the assignment, but Grant hit Michigan State's biggest and most athletic defender with a step-back three-pointer right in his eye.
Grant continued his comeback season in a big way on Wednesday night with 27 points, six assists and four rebounds in the Irish’s overtime victory over the No. 19 Spartans. After a long and frustrating debut season in the ACC a year ago, Notre Dame basketball is back with a 7-1 start to the new season. It’s no coincidence it’s happened with Grant back, too.
Grant left school 12 games into last season for an academic issue, not dissimilar from what football stars Everett Golson and DaVaris Daniels dealt with at Notre Dame. The Irish were off to a sluggish 8-4 start even with Grant, but the wheels came off as soon as he left the team. After an upset win against Duke to open conference play, Notre Dame lost eight of its next 10 in the ACC.
A team that was supposed to compete for an NCAA Tournament berth couldn’t even finish .500. Without their star guard, Notre Dame simply couldn’t keep pace in its new conference.
While it's still early, things to appear to have changed substantially for the Irish over the course of one offseason. Coach Mike Brey called his backcourt of Grant and sophomore Demetrius Jackson the best in the country on Wednesday night, and the claim might not be far off.
Jackson, a former McDonald’s All-American, is coming into his own in his second college season. He scored a career-high 22 points against Michigan State, and has raised his shooting percentage from 42 percent as a freshman to better than 58 percent through eight games this year. Jackson has loads of talent, but it’s the presence of an all-around force like Grant that is allowing him to play the type of game he wants to play.
While Jackson is the nominal point guard, he’s always been considered more of a scorer than a playmaker. That’s where Grant makes everyone’s life easier: He’s a primary scorer and an incredible facilitator all rolled into one 6’5, 200-pound package.
Grant is the son of long NBA forward Harvey Grant and the nephew of Horace Grant. He's the older brother of Jerami Grant, the former Syracuse wing who bolted early to the NBA last season and was drafted in the second round by the 76ers. He has the pedigree to be a great player, and as a 22-year-old playing against college kids, there isn't much he can't do.
The raw numbers are impressive. Grant is averaging 19.5 points per game this year on 58.1 percent from the field and 37.2 percent shooting from deep. He’s also averaging seven assists per game, regularly getting to the foul line and forcing turnovers on the other end. He’s explosive, yet plays in control. He might not get the attention of the star freshmen around the country this season, but he’s making a strong case that he’s the best guard in college basketball.
At the moment, Grant is No. 15 in the country in offensive rating, according to KenPom. He’s top 60 in both effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentage, and No. 35 in assist rate. He’s also great at limiting turnovers for a player with his usage.
Even in a conference as loaded as the ACC, it's tough to find many matchups Grant won't win. He's too strong for Marcus Paige or Tyus Jones. He's quick enough to match up with Virginia's Malcolm Brogdon. A late-season game against Louisville and Terry Rozier might be his toughest test, but Grant will still have four inches on him.
There aren’t many 23-year-old rookies who enter the NBA, and Grant’s age will be a big reason he’s overlooked this summer. But if you’re looking for size, athleticism, shooting and an innate ability to control the pace, it’s hard to do better than Grant.
For now, Notre Dame probably doesn’t care much about Grant’s future pro prospects. The Irish are going to be formidable this season with a guard-heavy attack that moves deliberately and emphasizes three-point tries. That’s only possible with a player like Grant running the show. Now that he’s back in South Bend, Notre Dame’s ACC growing pains should be short lived.
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