Grant Nelson

BORN: 18/03/2002

LAST TEAM: Alabama Crimson Tide (NCAA)

HEIGHT: 211 cm

WEIGHT: 107 kg

PRO

• Unique characteristics
• Long arms
• Attitude

WEAKNESSES

• Excessive insistence on 3pt shooting
• Not a great rebounder
• Foul trouble

VIDEO

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INTRODUCTION

Grant Nelson is a wing/center in his fourth season in college. Nelson spent the first three seasons at North Dakota State, where he was named First Team All-Summit in 2023, garnering attention for his performances. He then transferred to Alabama, where he is playing his fourth season in college.
Nelson is an intense player, unafraid of physical contact, and leaves all his energy on the basketball court. His role is not entirely clear. At Alabama, he plays as a tactical 5, which makes him struggle against some opposing big men – he is often targeted, leading to foul trouble (3.1 per game in 25.6 minutes). He might more easily play as a 4 in a European context, although it would be reductive to assign him a role. He is not a great rebounder for the position he plays at Alabama (5.9 per game). His defense on the pick-and-roll is good, thanks to excellent dynamism. He also has long arms and good verticality, registering 1.6 blocks per game this season.

Offensively, this season he might be shooting excessively from three (3.0 attempts per game out of 8.0 field goal attempts) with only 27.3%. Good ball-handling for a 2.11 cm player and has no trouble leading the transition after a steal or defensive rebound. He also has excellent post skills, easily finishing at the rim with his long arms (thus difficult to stop).
He too often settles for playing outside the arc, an area where I consider him, as of today, less dangerous. If he attacked the rim more consistently, he could be more impactful.
In the 2024 March Madness tournament, he recorded two double-double games (19 points and 15 rebounds against UConn and 24 points and 12 rebounds against UNC).
Overall, he is still an excellent player with unique characteristics.