Why Pistons’ Veteran Remains Out vs. Brooklyn Nets

Thursday’s game between the Detroit Pistons and the Brooklyn Nets will mark the third-straight game the Pistons will roll without their veteran guard, Quentin Grimes.

Since trading with the New York Knicks to land Grimes, the Pistons haven’t had much time to utilize the veteran guard. Unfortunately, his absence extends to multiple games this week.

Over the weekend, Grimes was downgraded heading into the Pistons’ Sunday night matchup against the Orlando Magic. The former Knicks guard was dealing with knee soreness.

At this point, the Pistons are describing Grimes’ reason for absence as “right knee injury management.” That’s an indication that Grimes is healthy but is just taking the opportunity to gain some additional rest this week.

When the Pistons landed Grimes ahead of the 2024 trade deadline, they were aware of Grimes’ injury concerns. Following a January 30 matchup against the Utah Jazz, Grimes was ruled inactive for three games in a row. After the Knicks moved him to Detroit, Grimes’ Pistons debut took a couple of weeks to happen.

After missing five games, Grimes finally made his debut with Detroit. In a matchup against the Orlando Magic, Grimes came off the bench for over 25 minutes. In the following game against his former team, Grimes checked in for 23 minutes.

Over the next two games, his shifts were cut in half. Against the Chicago Bulls, Grimes played for just 14 minutes. He struggled with his shot, shooting 0-5 from the field. In the following game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Grimes had another 14-minute shift, which featured 1-6 shooting from the field.

Clearly dealing with the aftereffects of his setback, Grimes took a step back and sat out the last few games. The trend will continue on Thursday night.