Sixers' Grant played beyond expectations

Jerami Grant's season wasn't what people might expect from a second-round pick who missed the first part of the season.

And that's just fine.

In fact, the 76ers rookie exceeded expectations as a combination forward en route to being his team's biggest surprise of this season.

The 39th pick of the 2014 draft, Grant was supposed to be an athletic, yet undersized, power forward masquerading as a small forward, who would make plenty of mistakes, miss an abundance of three-point shots, and still play solid defense.

That was before he missed the preseason and the first 15 games of the season because of a sprained right ankle and dehydration.

But the 6-foot-8, 210-pounder averaged 6.3 points, 3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.02 blocks in 65 games. He started the final 10.

His biggest impact came on defense and from beyond the three-point line.

The 21-year-old had at least three blocks in eight games. His highlights were his career-best eight blocks against the New York Knicks on Jan. 21, and the six he had against the Charlotte Hornets on April 4.

Offensively, Grant made 45 three-pointers in his final 46 games and 49 overall. This came after he shot 6 for 20 from behind the arc in his two seasons at Syracuse.

"I just wanted to get better," said Grant, who routinely took extra shots in the team's practice gym at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine following home games at the Wells Fargo Center.

"I'm in the gym every day regardless of what's going on," he added. "And I think that goes a long way, especially with my upside, I think, me being able to work as hard as I can. Essentially, it's a skill in itself. So, I think just being in the gym - that's where it comes from. I can't stop now."

After spending a couple of weeks with his family in Maryland, Grant will return to Philadelphia to get a jump on next season.

An undersized power forward in college, he adapted well when moved to small forward.

"Whatever position they put me at, I think I will be fine with it," he said. "But, in the offseason, I'm definitely going to work on a lot of things that a four-man can do and what a three-man can do. I'm just going to work on my overall game."

Coach Noel: Sixers rookie-of-the-year candidate Nerlens Noel and former WNBA standout Ruth Riley are scheduled to work with campers at the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Philippines 2015 national training camp this weekend in Manila. The two will also serve as coaches for the country's Jr. NBA Alumni all-star game.

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