Irish Duo Grant and Connaughton: Drafted and Traded
By Dave McKee
Pat Connaughton and Jerian Grant set their sights on becoming the first Irish duo to be selected in the NBA Draft from Notre Dame since Laphonso Ellis and Elmer Bennett were selected in 1992. After leading the Notre Dame Men’s Basketball team to the best record in the school’s history (32-6) and an ACC Championship, it appears whatever they set their sights on becomes a reality.
Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Both heard their names called on draft night. Grant was selected 19th overall by the Washington Wizards and Connaughton was selected 41st overall by the Brooklyn Nets.
On Thursday Night, the NBA Draft began with widespread expectations of blockbuster trades. While the trades came rolling in it was not during the lottery picks as everyone expected. Two of the most prolific players in Notre Dame basketball history were both drafted and then traded on the same night. The outcome of those trades were of equal benefit to Connaughton, Grant and their respective new teams.
Jerian Grant has an NBA pedigree, the son of former Washington Bullet and Portland Trail Blazer Harvey Grant and nephew to 4-time NBA Champion Horace Grant. Jerian’s brother, Jerami, is a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. Grant is a McDonald’s All-American with huge upside as a combo guard and has the potential to take a game over when he’s on. Grant was the Irish’s team MVP his senior season averaging 16.7 points, 6.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
Pat Connaughton’s draft stock took a bit of a slide due to his professional two sport prowess. Many saw Connaughton as a first round talent but his draft stock was likely affected by his two-sport prowess as indicated by Bleacher Report’s C.J. Moore:
"“I think that would hurt his value,” a Western Conference scout told Bleacher Report. “We’ve seen guys do baseball and the NFL, like Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders, but that’s just different the way those seasons work. Now everything is year-round. You only have 15 roster spots in the NBA, so you don’t want to use one of those roster spots on a guy who is going to be playing another sport. In his particular instance, he’s a guy who you want to focus on basketball. Part of the upside with him is let’s see how good he is when he’s focused on basketball year-round.”"