‘Intriguing’ Notre Dame PG Jerian Grant highlights Phoenix Suns pre-draft workout

PHOENIX — And on the fourth day, the Phoenix Suns worked out first-round talent.

OK, so it was just one prospect, but Notre Dame point guard Jerian Grant was the first, and thus far the only, draft eligible player among the 24 who have visited this week projected to be picked in the first round come June 25.

Grant is expected to hear his name called mid-round, which falls in line with where the Suns select, 13th overall.

The Suns would not appear to have a need at point guard with Eric Bledsoe already in the fold and the expected return of restricted free agent Brandon Knight.

General manager Ryan McDonough, however, has made it clear the Suns will draft the best player available to them regardless of the perceived fit. It’s a philosophy that held true a year ago when point guard Tyler Ennis was the pick at 18 despite roster depth at the position with Bledsoe and Goran Dragic.

“Grant’s intriguing because he’s a combo guard, can play a little bit of one, a little bit at two,” McDonough said. “He had a very good career at Notre Dame. He shot the ball well. He comes from a good pedigree, good basketball family (younger brother Jerami just completed his rookie season with Philadelphia, father Harvey played 11 NBA seasons and the nephew of four-time champion Horace Grant). We value that. We like the way Notre Dame plays. We like their style. We think it’s kind of how we play or how we’d like to play. He’s an intriguing guy. He certainly showed well today.”

At 6-foot-5, Grant would have a distinct size advantage over Bledsoe (6-1) and Knight (6-3).

His 6.7 assists per game as a senior, which ranked seventh-best in the nation, were met with just 2.2 turnovers per game, giving him a 3.04 assist-to-turnover ratio.

“I really study the game. I’ve been around it my whole life,” the 22-year-old Grant said. “Just making the right plays and knowing what plays to make and how to take care of the ball I think is important.”

In addition, Grant averaged 16.5 points while shooting 47.8 percent, helping lead the Irish to the Elite Eight where they lost to then-undefeated Kentucky.

“The more guys we can get on this team, whether it’s point guard, off guard, three man, center, four, whatever it is that brings intelligence to the game can only help us,” said head coach Jeff Hornacek, who Friday once again stated his commitment to the Suns despite Iowa State rumors.

The Suns were Grant’s fourth workout of the week, having already made stops in Indiana, Oklahoma City and Houston. He’s due to visit Washington, Toronto, Miami, Charlotte and Denver.

Grant though said he could see himself in a Suns uniform.

“Something that I’ve kind of played my whole life,” he said of rotating between both guard positions. “Definitely a spot that I see myself fitting in. When you have the ball all eyes are on you, but when you’re off the ball you can kind of sneak and move around a lot more. Either one works for me and I think I’ve done both pretty well.”

Grant joined a workout that included second-round hopefuls in Virginia forward Darion Atkins, Boston College guard Olivier Hanlan, Villanova guard Darrun Hilliard, Bowling Green forward Richaun Holmes and North Carolina forward J.P. Tokoto.

Hanlan and Tokoto both left school after their junior seasons.

Atkins, meanwhile, has just recently garnered interest from teams.

He can thank his performance at April’s Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a showcase event for college seniors. Though he received an invite only after somebody else dropped out, Atkins averaged 20 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.7 blocks, making the All-Tournament Team.

“I got a couple of teams interested in me, got people talking about me, buzzing about me,” he said. “I definitely benefited from a lot from it, and I’m glad I went.”

At Virginia, Atkins, listed at 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds, wasn’t asked to score — he averaged 7.6 points last season — but to focus his efforts on defense, which he did in winning both the ACC and National Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Admittedly, Atkins needs to work on his outside shooting. He attempted just one 3-pointer in four years.

McDonough likened his power forward skill set to Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.

“He’s the undersized guy,” said Atkins, who unprompted mentioned Green when talking to reporters. “I kind of see myself the same way. I just love his game, his heart, his passion. I would love to turn into a player like that.”