Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant suffered torn ligaments in his right thumb and will be out indefinitely, sources tell The Athletic. Grant picked up the injury in Friday's 109-93 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Grant, 27, has been the Pistons' leading scorer the last two seasons. The eight-year veteran came to Detroit in 2020 after signing a three-year, $60 million contract through a sign-and-trade with the Denver Nuggets. Grant was a finalist for the league's Most Improved Player award after the 2020-21 season.
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Grant is averaging 20.1 points and 4.8 rebounds this season. The Pistons are an NBA-worst 4-21 and are in the midst of an 11-game losing streak.
(Photo: Brian Sevald / NBAE via Getty Images)
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Why Jerami Grant left the Nuggets for the Pistons
Who fills Grant's minutes?
James Edwards III, Pistons beat writer: The loss of Grant is a massive blow for the Pistons, who are currently have the worst record in the NBA and have had trouble scoring this season. Grant is the team's leading scorer, putting up more than 20 points per game. He's also one of the two best shot blockers in Detroit. Grant's absence could be lengthy, depending on if he opts for surgery, which sources tell me and Charania is an option.
The Pistons are already without Kelly Olynyk, who has missed the last four weeks with a knee injury and won't be re-evaluated for two more weeks. The most likely candidate to step in for Grant is Hamidou Diallo, a swingman who has played some power forward as of late with Detroit's string of bad luck in the frontcourt. Diallo is athletic and a good rebounder, but the Pistons are going to be seriously undersized on most nights.
Trey Lyles could be an option, but he's been playing almost exclusively backup center minutes with Olynyk out. Maybe Dwane Casey plays him at power forward and puts trust in Luka Garza to play heavy minutes off the bench.
How this affects the Pistons in the trade market
Edwards: Grant would be a helpful piece for a team contending for the playoffs or a championship, and those teams have pinged the Pistons over the last year since Grant took a step forward in his new role in Detroit. It wasn't necessarily a given that the Pistons would look to shop Grant this year. He was the first big acquisition of general manager Troy Weaver, who has had a relationship with the forward for many years. Detroit is rebuilding, however, and holds the league's worst record, so no one outside of No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham is untouchable.
Grant is one of the few players carrying decent-to-good trade value at this point in time. If Grant does elect to get surgery, common sense says that he could be out until around late January/early February.