New Knicks Starter Quentin Grimes Impressing on Both Sides of the Ball
Just two weeks ago, sophomore first-round choice Quentin Grimes saw himself struggling to earn minutes in the New York Knicks rotation prior to a five-game road trip.
At the time, Grimes was "just trying to be supportive,” doing his utmost to be a team player in whatever head coach Tom Thibodeau thought was best to win. It was a tough break for a player whose summer was anything but an offseason: not only did Grimes headline the Knicks' runner-up effort in Summer League play, but the team also reportedly did its utmost to keep him out of the Donovan Mitchell trade conversations.
After working off the nagging effects of preseason foot soreness, Grimes took over the primary shooting guard role in the last leg of the trip in Oklahoma City, subbing for an injured Cam Reddish (groin). The new duties saw Grimes draw defensive duty on Ja Morant during the Memphis Grizzlies' Sunday visit, and the sophomore held the Association's most recent Most Improved Player to eight points and forced four turnovers in the first half.
Though Morant eventually broke free with new defenders upon him, earning a triple-double in a 127-123 Memphis victory, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau noted that Grimes "did as good a job as you can possibly do" defending the All-Star.
The meandering Knicks (10-11) will obviously welcome Grimes' defensive prescience, but concern lingered about his shooting ability: heading into Tuesday's game against the Detroit Pistons, Grimes had made just 6 of his 26 attempts from long range (23 percent) through his first ten games.
“I use a lot of legs in my jump shot, but I know the work I put in. It’ll come around,” Grimes said prior to Tuesday's Motown showdown. “It’s only four or five games in, just being at full game speed with 30-plus minutes. So I know it’ll come, for sure, just got to keep getting my legs underneath me.”
Grimes starting to make things right on Tuesday: a 30-point victory over the Pistons saw Grimes go for a season-high 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including 3-of-4 from three-point range. In addition to his scoreboard contributions, Grimes posted a plus/minus of +37, a team-best as the Knicks earned their third victory over Detroit.
Grimes and the Knicks are back in action tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).
You can follow Riley Sheppard on Twitter @RileyDSheppard.
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