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Syracuse Orange forward Jerami Grant watched the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft pass him by. It took until the 39th pick in the second round when The Philadelphia 76ers selected Grant and put an end to his evening of misery.
The selection reunites Grant with Michael Carter-Williams, at least for now.
Grant delighted Orange fans with scintillating dunks and strong scoring performances throughout the season. He finished his second season tied for third in scoring (12.1) and as the team-leader in rebounds (6.8). He also finished 2nd on the team is assists, 3rd in blocks and 4th in steals. When healthy, Grant was a ferocious dunker and scorer who could create for himself and put up big numbers when asked to.
Grant now gets to say he played in the NBA just like his father Harvey Grant, and uncle Horace Grant.
Expectations for Grant has vacillated greatly since he announced. Some have had him going as high as mid-teens while others had him drop to the 2nd round. Jim Boeheim himself made it clear he thought Grant needed another year of seasoning in college. His draft status might drive that point home but it'd debatable how much higher he'd go anyway. We may never know if it would have mattered, but Grant will have the chance to prove his doubters wrong now.
