Jerian Grant has been flying under the radar as one of the more productive rookies to take the court this year. However, recently Grant as cooled down as defenses begin to adjust to his style. Part of that is due to Grant's hesitation and part of that is because head coach Derek Fisher is encouraging the rookie to put up more shots on the court. While a few of Grant's weaknesses have gotten exposed in recent games, is that saving the future of Jose Calderon?
Grant has slowed down in recent games, but Fisher is not worried. As the point guard comes off the bench, Fisher is encouraging to change things up as defenses make adjustments. He believes it will help Grant have more long-term success in the future.
"It's just called 'Welcome to the NBA,'" said Fisher, via the New York Daily News. "Sustaining success in this league requires you to embrace your weaknesses and the things you don't do so well. So for Jerian, he's going to have to embrace the opportunity teams are presenting him. If they're going under screens, he needs to make teams pay for their adjustment."
Grant and Langston Galloway are combining to be a powerful tandem off the bench, but they are still not doing enough for Fisher to give one of them a starting spot over Calderon. The head coach likes Calderon and Arron Afflalo in the backcourt for Carmelo Anthony while the two young point guards bring energy off the bench. Calderon made it clear that he is not concerned with whether or not he comes off the bench as he is confidence in his abilities.
"I want to win, I want to help this team," Calderon said, via ESPN.com. "It doesn't matter if I am starting or coming off the bench or if I'm the fourth point guard, at the end of the day. So it's all right. You guys were talking about me. You weren't talking [badly] about [my teammates], so it was good for us."
While Calderon continues to stay in the good graces of Fisher, are players like Derrick Williams and Kyle O'Quinn dropping out of the rotation? According to DailyKnicks.com, Lou Amundson and Lance Thomas have passed both O'Quinn and Williams on the depth chart as they have been the players to come in for Robin Lopez and Kristaps Porzingis. This is not what either player had in mind when they signed in free agency, but they both need to show more consistency on the court if they intend to get more playing time in the future.
