Jerami Grant has, according to the almighty stat gods that bless us with their gifts at basketball-reference, more Win Shares than Russell Westbrook this season. Now, I like hating on Chucksell Statpadbrook as much as anybody, but that’s messed up. Win Shares, just like all other advanced stats, are not meant to be taken singularly, even if they purport to assign a single numerical value to a player that represents how good they are. In particular, Win Shares like the things that Grant does (rebounding, efficiency) way more than the stuff that Westbrook does (chucking, turning it over, bricking).
I was going to make an argument that Grant was a top three player for the Thunder this season, but it becomes a lot easier if you go by Win Shares and say that Westbrook isn’t a top three player for the Thunder this season. Realistically, Paul George and Westbrook are the top two, and then you have to figure out who comes in third. Grant? Steven Adams? Dennis Schroder? Probably not Schroder, but maybe Adams? I think I’m leaning towards Adams, just because I like his hair and I think when he says funny things in his funny accent that it’s really cool. Grant has cool hair too, but does he ever give wry answers to stupid postgame interview questions while saying “Mate”? It doesn’t seem like it.
Grant can hit threes though, which swings things a little bit in his favor. He couldn’t shoot threes before, but this season, he’s actually a legit threat from outside. This is not something I expected when I was watching him during his Philly days, but it’s great to see. 5 threes, that’s like something a legit three-point shooter would do, and now Grant has done it.