Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant sees NBA playoffs as opportunity to turn corner

PORTLAND, Ore. — As odd as it may sound, Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant last played in an NBA playoff game in the month of September.

Grant scored 20 points when the Denver Nuggets were eliminated from the postseason after losing 117-107 to the Los Angeles Lakers during Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference finals on Sept. 26, 2020, in Orlando, Fla. That game took place in the NBA Bubble during the coronavirus pandemic.

While Grant hasn’t played in a playoff game since then, two of his former teams have won NBA titles.

“I miss the playoffs so much,” Grant told Andscape on April 10, prior to clinching a playoff spot. “It’s been a long time. Unbelievable. I can never get accustomed to it.”

The wait will be over for Grant today. He is officially back in the playoffs as the Western Conference’s seventh-seeded Blazers will play the No. 2 seed San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of their first-round series.

Without injured All-Star guard Damian Lillard, the young Blazers were expected to rebuild, looking forward to the loaded 2026 NBA draft rather than the playoffs. But led by All-Star forward Deni Avdija, the Blazers are perhaps the surprise team of the postseason after winning their play-in tournament game 114-110 against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.

The reward for Portland is long-shot hopes against NBA MVP candidate Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs. As for Grant, the Blazers’ opponent is secondary, because he’s just happy to be back in the postseason.

“It’s been a while of not playing very meaningful basketball,” Grant said. “I’m just happy that I have a chance to play when it matters most again.”

The Blazers (42-40) finished the regular season with seven wins in their last 10 games. A big win against the Los Angeles Clippers at home on April 10, the penultimate game of the season, led to Portland clinching the eighth seed.

Behind a 41-point game from Avdija, the Blazers overcame an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter in the play-in win against the Suns. Portland also secured a playoff berth for the first time since 2021.

“We have a versatile team,” Grant said. “A lot of guys that can win us games, a lot of players that can defend and score the ball, so it’ll be a series of adjusting and matchups.”

Grant, who described his season as “solid,” averaged 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 29.7 minutes per game for Portland. However, the 12-year NBA veteran missed the last seven games of the regular season with a right calf strain. Grant’s return against the Suns was a needed boost, as he scored 16 points in 19 minutes in his first play-in tournament game.

Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe, who averaged 18.5 points per game, also returned to action during the regular-season finale after missing roughly two months with a left calf strain that led to a stress reaction in the left fibula.

Grant’s return against Phoenix marked the Blazers’ first fully healthy roster, excluding Lillard, who missed the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Grant and the Blazers also enjoyed a nice break of four days in between games after beating the Suns.

“My body is OK,” Grant said. “I had to sit out for some things, but I’ve been getting treatment with my guy [clinician] Mike Davis. He got me back in time for the play-in, and now he’s making sure I’m up to par to keep going, so I’m again just grateful.”

Grant was acquired by the Trail Blazers from the Detroit Pistons on July 6, 2022. Prior to Detroit, the 6-foot-7, 213-pound forward also played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets and Thunder have both won an NBA title since Grant’s departure. The Pistons are the Eastern Conference’s top seed.

Grant has never won an NBA championship, and it hasn’t been easy for him to see his former teams get championship rings.

“It’s tough seeing the teams I’ve been on in the playoffs doing well, winning championships and things like that,” Grant, 32, said. “You want to be able to get there and be able to compete. That is great competition in the NBA, the playoffs.”

While it’s been almost six years since his last playoff game, Grant has 35 games of postseason experience. He expects himself, Lillard and two-time NBA champion Jrue Holiday to talk to their Portland teammates about the high level of play needed for the playoffs. The Blazers’ last playoff win came in Game 4 of their first-round series against Denver on May 29, 2021.

On the flip side, more pressure will be on Wembanyama and the title-contending Spurs. The five-time NBA champions have reason to be nervous, too, as they haven’t played in a playoff game or hosted one since their first-round appearance in 2019. Wembanyama will be making his NBA playoff debut Sunday.

“We have to sit down and talk to them — me, Jrue, Dame and whoever has been there,” Grant said. “We just have to explain to them that this is a different level of basketball. Everybody is scouting all the things that you do well. Everyone is playing the game more serious. It’s hard to explain.

“You feel like every team should play every game the same, but it’s just different in the playoffs. Its more locked-in. Every coach knows every single player’s tendencies. Every player knows every team’s tendencies.”

Wembanyama and the Spurs are a more global brand compared to this Blazers team, which is relatively unknown unless you are one of their most ardent fans. Portland only played on national TV six times during the regular season, but in the playoffs, basketball fans worldwide will be tuned in.

“We have a solid team. A pretty good team,” Grant said. “We have a bunch of players that can score the basketball. A bunch of great defenders. We got a little bit of everything. Coming into this season, we felt like we were going to turn the corner a little bit. We’ve definitely done that.”

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