Grant Leads Trail Blazers with 33 Points in Tight Loss

Jerami Grant paced the Portland Trail Blazers in their 122-121 loss to the Bulls, scoring 33 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field, including 5-of-9 from three-point range, and 8-of-10 from the free-throw line. He also contributed nine rebounds and four assists in 37 minutes. Grant has consistently been a high-volume scorer for the Trail Blazers, averaging 21.0 points per game on 45/40/82 shooting in 54 games last year, adding 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He is projected to continue as a roughly 20-point scorer. With a contract through the 2027-28 season, the Trail Blazers are expected to explore trade options for Grant. He has been a key player in Portland's developing young core, which includes Anfernee Simons, Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Deni Avdija, and Donovan Clingan. Grant has a history of finishing as a top-80 fantasy player for three consecutive years. His first season in Portland saw him average 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 0.8 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 2.3 three-pointers per game, logging 35.6 minutes. He was traded to Portland from Detroit and is expected to make a significant two-way impact. Grant has previously excelled on playoff-caliber teams, shooting 48.9% from the field and 39.1% from three-point range with Oklahoma City and Denver. In Detroit, he averaged career highs of 22.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.1 blocks, with 2.1 threes at a 35.0% clip. He occupied a sixth-man role with the Nuggets, averaging 12.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, hitting 1.4 threes at 38.9%. Grant signed a three-year, $60 million contract with the Pistons, where he was expected to take on a larger role. With the Nuggets, he averaged 19.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per 36 minutes when Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray were off the court. His career has also included time with the Thunder, where he averaged 13.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.4 three-pointers, and the 76ers, where he averaged 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. Drafted 39th overall in 2014, Grant averaged 6.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.0 block in his rookie season. His college career at Syracuse saw him average 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists.