I thought we'd stick with the 14ers for our next profile, Kentrell "KG" Gransberry. We have a lot of fun with Gransberry here at RU, but it's not with malice. Gransberry has the potential to develop into a solid big man, he just has some work to do.
How he got here
Like Gilder, Kentrell Gransberry started out at a Texas junior college before attending moving to Louisiana. In Gransberry's case, though, it was San Jacinto JC, and in going to LSU he was really coming home, as he's from Baton Rouge. It wasn't long before he was moving on again, though. His Scout.com profile says only this:
The 6-9, 270-pound forward played in just two minutes of an exhibition contest this season with the Tigers before leaving the program. Gransberry will begin practicing with the Bulls in January.
Mysterious. The "Bulls" in that quote refers to the University of South Florida, where he spent two seasons. Over the course of his junior and senior years he averaged just under 16 points and about 11 rebounds per game. His senior year was a little rougher than the one before, as he saw a slight uptick in his turnovers and lower field goal and free throw percentages, though he also decreased his fouling slightly.
KG attended the NBA Draft Combine, and the reports were, well...the phrase "isn't serious about playing in the NBA" came up. Mostly it was his weight that left a bad impression. I know I/we've made references to this in the past (he's currently listed at 270), but I didn't know that he apparently posted the third highest body fat percentage in Combine history, as that article says.
It also likely didn't help that, while he's a center, he was also measured around 6'6" without shoes, as if his listed 6'9" wasn't already considered undersized. (And yes, I know Elton Brand was measured around the same height before he was drafted and he has had a good career, but a.) questions were raised about Brand's height then, and b.) he had and has more skills than Gransberry. He also revealed his poor footwork in the post and lack of much offensive game beyond putbacks and dunks.
Gransberry was a member of the 2008 Detroit Pistons Summer League team, however he only played two minutes in each game, and fouled twice in each game. It was a harbinger of things to come, as you'll see below the jump.
D-League play
Gransberry joined the Colorado 14ers in early February, and after a rough first few games started showing flashes of what he can do. He had 15 points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes against Tulsa on Feb. 11. Unfortunately, he never really saw a consistent amount of court time, for two reasons. First, a running team like what Colorado became, coincidentally around the time Gransberry joined, is not a good fit for a guy with conditioning issues, and second, when he did see the court Gransberry had a hard time not fouling. The game before that Tulsa contest he collected five fouls in seven minutes. Even in a game like March 8 against Albuquerque, when he had 11 points and 10 rebounds (six offensive), he had four fouls.
I've mentioned this before, probably a few times, but Gransberry finished second among qualified D-League players in fouls committed on a per-minute basis, sandwiched between Colorado's other centers (that they finished the season with). Because he didn't usually play much, Gransberry only fouled out twice this season; once in April against Albuquerque, when he also had four turnovers, and the other time in the second D-League Finals game. He also had games, though, where he posted three fouls in six minutes, or four fouls in 14 minutes, or five fouls in seven minutes. His limited playing time meant he only posted double-digit points in five games, and double-digit rebounds only twice.
Overall Outlook
Weight remains an issue for Gransberry. He has the skills to develop into a good rebounder and a solid defensive presence, but as currently constructed, if you'll pardon the term, he doesn't have enough body control to keep out of foul trouble, or enough quickness to develop a decent post game. He's active, which is good to see, he does a good job boxing out and generally has a good feel for rebounding, he just has a lot of work to do in the weight room and on the court before he can translate that into further success.
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