Grant’s interior game becoming a weapon
He didn’t need a 5-of-5 shooting night against San Antonio to confirm it, but Jerami Grant has become a legitimate offensive weapon for the Thunder.
The 6-foot-9 forward has come a long way from his wild forays to the basket in his first season in Oklahoma City. Grant is under control more often on drives. He’s developed a nice left-handed finish around the rim. He’s shooting a career-high 52 percent overall.
“With being in the league for a couple years, kinda getting a feel for the pace of the game and things like that definitely slows a lot of things down,” Grant said in February. “I think once it starts to slow down, you start to blossom a little bit.”
The key has been getting Grant’s game back inside.
In his first year with the Thunder, Grant was asked to space the floor from 3-point range more, not a strength of his game. He had to take a career-high 36.7 percent of his shots from deep. Now, with the addition of Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, Raymond Felton and Patrick Patterson, Grant is taking 55.7 percent of his shots from within three feet of the rim — his highest percentage of shots from that distance in his career — and he’s shooting 67.5 percent from that range, also a career best.
According to basketballreference.com, Grant’s field goal attempts this season are averaging a career-low 8.2 feet in distance, down from an average of 12.1 feet last season.
It’s not just because of the players around him. While Grant has committed the same amount of offensive fouls this season (nine) as compared to last season in fewer minutes, he’s been more efficient.
•Among players playing 21 minutes or fewer (Grant averages 20.7), Grant’s 2.8 free throws per game are second only to Phoenix’s Alex Len (3.3).
“Being aggressive, using his athleticism and size to dunk on people,” Russell Westbrook said of what’s spurred Grant’s ability to get to the line.
•Grant is drawing personal fouls on 19.8 percent of his drives, sixth in the NBA for players who’ve played 1,000 or more minutes, and on 22 percent of his post-ups, also sixth in the NBA (min. 30 post-up possessions).
•His post-up frequency has reflected Billy Donovan’s confidence in his improvement. Grant has gone from not posting up at all for the Thunder in 2016-17 — NBA. com’s stats do not have a single post-up possession recorded for Grant from last season — to posting up on 8.3 percent of his possessions. A role with the second unit which was reserved for Enes Kanter last season is now Grant’s, and he’s scoring on 56.1 percent of his post-ups, seventh in the NBA.
It might not always look pretty from Grant, but it’s been effective.
“A guy like that, the sky’s the limit for him,” Felton said. “A lot of his stuff is based on potential, and on top of that he’s a very athletic and talented guy. He’s still young. He’s still getting better. He’s gotten better from training camp to this day right here, he’s gotten 100-percent better.”
Westbrook nearing 100
With 14 games remaining in the regular season, Westbrook is still chasing history.
With two more triple doubles, Westbrook can become the fourth player in NBA history to record 100 for his career, joining Jason Kidd (107), Magic Johnson (138) and Oscar Robertson (181).
Westbrook can also become the only player in NBA history to average a triple double in two consecutive seasons if he averages 9.3 assists and 11.8 rebounds over the final 14 games.
Westbrook has a leagueleading 19 triple doubles this season. He’s likely to lead the league in triple doubles for the third consecutive season barring a surge from LeBron James, who has 13.
Special shoe debuts
On Sunday, a special colorway of Westbrook’s Jordan Why Not? Zer0.1 hit the stores.
It’s called the “Tribute” edition, and Westbrook will wear them Monday against Sacramento. The design features the No. 3 on the bottom of the sole in honor of the late Khelcey Barrs III, Westbrook’s high school teammate and friend who died of an enlarged heart at age 16.
“People like him, Khelcey and his family, I always play for him, for his family, every single time I step on the floor,” Westbrook said after Saturday’s game. “To be able to have a shoe in his honor is a blessing, to be able to have your own shoe.
“I’m just honored to be able to do that on his behalf, and there’s many more things I’m going to do on his behalf. Any opportunity I get, if I get the opportunity, I’m definitely always going to show praise to him.”