Former Arizona forward Grant Jerrett, who left the Wildcats unexpectedly after his freshman season, is now a Portland Trail Blazer, as Jerrett was the No. 40 pick in Thursday's NBA draft.
NBA Draft 2013: Portland Trail Blazers select Grant Jerrett at No. 40
Grant Jerrett’s decision to jump to the NBA after just one year didn’t cost him the ability to be selected in the NBA Draft, as the Portland Trail Blazers took the McDonald’s All-American with the tenth pick of the second round.
More: Blazer's Edge
Many suspected that Jerrett could one day be a future first-rounder, but because he opted to leave, he seemed like he might not get selected. Clearly, the Trail Blazers see something in the 6’10, 232-pounder, taking him just ten picks into the second round.
Jerrett was a McDonald's All-American in 2012 and a highly rated get for Arizona coach Sean Miller, but Jerrett was not expected to make the leap to the league after one season in Tucson. He averaged 17.8 minutes per game, scored 5.2 points per game and grabbed 3.6 boards per game. He didn't play much at the behest of sharing time with Solomon Hill, Kaleb Taczewski and Brandon Ashley. Hill was taken in the first round, No. 23 by the Indiana Pacers.
In one his collegiate season, Jerrett mostly lived behind the 3-point line, scoring 32 of his 63 made field goals from beyond the arc. He likely projects as a jump-shooter at the next level, as he is not terribly athletic nor did he show many other raw offensive skills waiting to be developed at Arizona. Measuring 6’10.25 at the draft combine, he is not an aggressive rebounder or a particularly quick defender.
Jerrett joins C.J. McCollum and Allen Crabbe as Trail Blazers picks tonight. McCollum’s a score-first guard, while Crabbe’s definitely a shooter like Jerrett, so they’re strategizing around offense.
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