Jerami Grant Hoping to Build Off Solid Rookie Year For Sixers
By Matt Leon
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The 76ers will play their first home game of the preseason tonight as they host the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Center.
Philadelphia opened its exhibition schedule on Tuesday with a loss in Washington D.C. to the Wizards, 129-95.
In that game, forward Jerami Grant played 20 minutes off the bench, scoring five points and pulling down a team high eight rebounds. The 6-8 Syracuse product should be a key piece for the 76ers this season after a solid rookie campaign which saw him average 6.3 points and three rebounds a game, while shooting 31% from three-point land. Grant talks about where he has improved off that rookie campaign.
"I think I'm smarter," Grant tells KYW Newsradio. "I think I'm more aware of where I need to be on the court. My shooting stroke has gotten a lot better, a lot smoother."
Listen to the entire interview with Jerami Grant
Grant talks about what head coach Brett Brown has been stressing to them through training camp and the preseason.
"The main focus throughout camp has been transition defense and transition offense," Grant says. "So definitely just the transition game as a whole. I think we've been working on it well. I think we're putting things together, we have a lot of young players, so we have to get used to it a little bit more. But I think once the season hits, we'll be ready."
The 76ers have added a top flight talent in the front court in top draft pick Jahlil Okafor. Grant talks about the impact the center out of Duke will have on the team this season.
"He's a great player," Grant says. "He's a big presence on offense and he commands a lot of attention. I think he will be able to open up a lot of open shots for a lot of people."
The 76ers are coming off an 18-64 campaign and they have won a total of just 37 games the last two seasons combined. But Grant thinks the arrow is definitely pointing up for them.
"We're getting a lot better," Grant says. "We're a lot better than we were last year and I think we're fine. I think going forward, we have a chance to be really special. We just want to take it one year at a time."
Sixers and the Cavaliers tip-off at 7:00pm at the Center.
You can follow Matt on Twitter @mattleonkyw.
