Kellan Grady transitioning from UK’s ‘Granddad’ to professional rookie

Jerry Tipton
·4 min read

When it comes to transitions a basketball player wants to make, Kellan Grady surpasses the imposing college-to-NBA advancement. He must also handle moving from Kentucky’s team “Granddad” to professional rookie.

“I’m still always going to be Granddad,” Grady said with a chuckle Monday. He was referring to his UK teammates who coined the nickname in respect for a 24-year-old player and college graduate.

Incidentally, like the player he admires, Steph Curry, Grady has a degree in sociology from Davidson.

“Half the reason they call me that isn’t just because of my age,” Grady said. “It’s because I’m an old soul.

“So, I’ll still watch Jimmy Kimmel and Trevor Noah and my late night talk shows and my old gangster movies.”

Grady spoke from Chicago, where he is participating in the NBA G League Elite Camp. He is among 44 players in the camp. Some of those might be invited to participate in the NBA Combine, also in Chicago, later this week. The NBA Combine is for players expected to have a greater chance of being picked in the June 23 NBA Draft.

Kellan Grady shot 41.7% from three-point range in his lone season at Kentucky and 37.8% across five seasons in college.
Kellan Grady shot 41.7% from three-point range in his lone season at Kentucky and 37.8% across five seasons in college.

The NBA G League Elite Camp’s schedule Monday included athletic and agility testing, a 30-minute practice and a scrimmage, Grady said.

Other players in the Elite Camp include former UK teammate Keion Brooks and such Southeastern Conference standouts as Arkansas guard J.D. Notae, LSU guard Darius Days and Texas A&M wing Quenton Jackson.

Grady said he had interviews with six NBA teams Sunday night. He said he was encouraged by the feedback he has received so far.

“Because of my ability to fill a role,” Grady said, “and how self aware I am of what it takes to be in the league.

“I think a lot of people lose focus and want to showcase a bunch of different things. There’s about 20 to 30 stars (in the NBA), and the rest have to get to that level by playing a role and figuring out a way to play a role.”

Grady noted the diversity in his college basketball career. He was the main man for Davidson, then transferred to Kentucky and became part of an ensemble as a shooter/savvy veteran.

In his 2021-22 season for Kentucky, Grady averaged 11.4 points per game and made 41.7% of his three-point shots.

He acknowledged playing despite dealing with plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the tissue that connects the heel bone to the toes. Symptoms include stabbing pain near the heel.

“I had it throughout the entire season,” he said. “And it got worse as the season went on, especially that phase when I was playing almost 40 minutes a game.”

Beginning with the UK game at LSU that saw Sahvir Wheeler and TyTy Washington both sustain injuries, Grady played 34 or more minutes in 14 of 15 games. In that span, he played 38 or more minutes in nine games.

“I had it in both feet,” Grady said. “It was a drag, and it was something I could endure. The worst pain was after the games and the next morning. (And) it would stiffen up at halftime.”

Grady’s shooting accuracy diminished down the final stretch of the season. In Kentucky’s last seven games, he made 19 of 54 shots (35.2%) and six of 29 three-point shots (20.7%).

When asked if this could be attributed to the plantar fasciitis, Grady said, “All you can do is speculate. I have no definitive way to accredit my shooting slump as a result of that.”

Grady spoke warmly of his Kentucky season while acknowledging the earlier than anticipated conclusion.

“It was an unfortunate ending,” he said of the loss to Saint Peter’s in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. “I think we can all agree with that. There’s no way to sugarcoat that.

“But I’m proud of the season we had.”

Grady spoke of the period of mid-January through February as rewarding.

“We weren’t the same team the last three or four weeks,” he said. “Unfortunately, that can be part of a season. And we just didn’t figure it out — re-figure it out, I should say — when we needed to.

“But you can’t take away some of those great moments of the regular season. … We were very together and a great group. … So, overall, I’m proud of it and grateful for the experience.”

A Kentucky basketball target has a new list. And more of the top UK recruiting links.

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