The Panathinaikos guard came back to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague last summer after a stellar season in the BKT EuroCup. Now he is shining again with the Greens.
Jerian Grant, Panathinaikos: 'Everybody wants to be the man, but that's not how it works'
Last season was a big one for Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens guard Jerian Grant. He was named MVP of the BKT EuroCup as he took Turk Telekom Ankara to the final. It was no surprise to anyone when it was announced that he was returning to the EuroLeague through Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens to join the new project led by new coach Ergin Ataman.
Grant had already made his EuroLeague debut in 2021-22 with EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, but his impact was not felt to the same degree as a EuroLeague rookie.
"Everybody wants to be the man, but that's not how it works," Grant says. "You have to play your role and eventually, as your role gets bigger, you can blossom into being a star."
His impact on the biggest basketball stage in Europe has been immediate in his second stint. With the Greens, he is averaging 8.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.6 steals in almost 30 minutes on the court as a regular starter and Panathinaikos is currently fourth in the standings.
And that's no small feat because, as Grant himself acknowledges, switching competitions is like entering a completely new world.
"In the EuroCup, you have three or four players on a team that can really do some special things," Grant explains. "Here in the EuroLeague, every player - even players that come off the bench and only play 5 minutes - can really help the team and do special things."
Now Grant is an integral part of a team that is looking to return to the Final Four for the first time since 2012. For Grant, the key could be that this Panathinaikos team has managed to find chemistry among its members, on and off the court.
"We have guys that really like each other, that really get along," Grant concludes. "We're still learning each other and that shows on the court as we get better and better."