Former Syracuse basketball star Jerami Grant has broken a Detroit Pistons scoring record in his first 10 games with the team.
According to Pistons Nation, Grant has scored 251 points to start the 2020-21 NBA season, setting a new record for Detroit. Adrian Dantley scored 239 points in his first 10 games with the Pistons in 1986, Ben Gordon scored 212 over the same stretch in 2009, and Isiah Thomas scored 212 in his first 10 games as a rookie.
Grant is averaging 25.1 points per game this season, 12th among the NBA’s scoring leaders and more than double his output in his final season at Syracuse University. Grant is also shooting 37.5% from 3-point range and averaging 6.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists.
Grant became a free agent after helping lead the Denver Nuggets to the Western Conference Finals in last year’s NBA playoffs, and signed a three-year contract with the Pistons reportedly worth $60 million. The deal is looking solid for both Detroit and Grant, who could be a Most Improved Player candidate.
But the Pistons are off to a 3-7 start this season and lost Sunday to the Jazz, 96-86, largely due to a 17-0 run by Utah in the first quarter. Grant scored 28 points and the team cut the deficit to five in the fourth quarter before Rudy Gobert blocked a shot by Mason Plumlee, and Mike Conley made two free throws to make it 93-86 with 1:00 remaining.