During the college showcase time of year, when pro scouts and execs huddle and scrutinize and measure and clock and assess, one of the premier events is the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. A good showing there helps a players draft status immensely.
Well, usually.
St. John’s Tyrone Grant went into Portsmouth and came out as the tournament MVP. Then he went into the NBA draft and came out the same exact way: undrafted.
Grant may have been hurt by another showcase event, the Chicago pre-draft camp which he bypassed entirely while rehabilitating his surgically-repaired wrist. He figured to be a lock to be drafted somewhere but was bypassed. He publicly announced his desire just before the draft to be the Nets’ second round pick. New Jersey, of course, went the Evan Eschmeyer route but it may still work out as Grant is among the invitees the Nets are looking at for their entry in the Boston summer league that starts tomorrow. And from, there, invites go out for training camp.
“I broke my wrist in January in a game and re-injured it during the season and I had surgery after Portsmouth,” said the product of Brooklyn’s Grady High. “This is an opportunity and I’m trying to make the best of it and I thank the Nets for it. It’s close to home and I’m just trying to participate. They have a great young team and I want to be part of it.
“I hadn’t played basketball in three months. Up until last Thursday, I couldn’t even do that. So it’s been hard. I’ve just been playing, trying to get back in shape.”
Grant, a 10.5 scorer and .591 shooter for the Red Storm as a senior, can best repay the Nets by continuing to show multi-position ability. He was a post-type player in college but at 6-7, will need more perimeter skills for the pros. So far, so good. But it is still horribly early.
“He’s a talent. He’s a tough guy. I like his attitude, I like his desire,” endorsed Nets general manager John Nash. “I told him his lack of availability for Chicago may have hurt him in the draft and that if he wanted to come over and utilize our facilities, he was welcome. There’s something about New York guys wanting to be close to home.”
Guys like Stephon Marbury and Jayson Williams, for example. Grant shows some similar traits.
“I like his physical tenacity. I think he guards well,” offered Nash before honing in again on the biggest question surrounding Grant. “He’s probably going to play small forward and he’s played more like a power forward in college. He’s a tough guy, like a Scott Burrell would present defensively to an opponent. The question is, ‘Can he step out on the perimeter and make shots consistently?’ We were pleasantly surprised.”
If Grant runs the floor like a three, not a four, and hits the shot, he could be back in training camp. Why not? He was the Portsmouth MVP for having more than just a power game.
“Everybody told me to play in the low post, but as soon as the St. John’s season was over I started preparing myself to play on the wing,” Grant stressed. “I always practiced on the wing. I mean, the NBA is going to be an adjustment but just playing outside, handling the ball on the wing, isn’t going to be major adjustment. I’m just trying to learn. Once I do, I’m going to be all right.”