With the 25th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, the Knicks selected Quentin Grimes, a sharpshooting, hard-nosed defender at the wing out of Houston. He won’t be coming into training camp with the same hype as a lottery pick, nor with guaranteed playing time.
Still, the Knicks liked Grimes enough to trade down for him, and he was a top high school recruit for a reason.
Let’s dive deeper into his game to see what New York sees in its newest rookie …
First, like all draft picks in the Leon Rose era, Grimes fits the culture. Bill Self of Kansas and Kelvin Sampson of Houston, two of college basketball’s hardest-nosed coaches, oversaw Grimes’s development. Transitioning to Tom Thibodeau should be a breeze for a true competitor.
Grimes showed off his determination in the pre-draft process, opting to compete in two Draft Combine scrimmages after already having a pro day and near-guarantee he’d be drafted. He dominated the two scrimmages with his shooting, playmaking and defense.
Those are the primary skills he’ll be bringing to New York. Grimes is one of the better shooters of this draft, connecting on 40.3% of his threes on 8.3 (!) attempts a game. Much has been said about Grimes being a dip shooter, but it plays into his effective form: consistently has good lift, a good base, and squares up to the rim.
When you think “3-and-D” prospect, the “3” usually refers to boring catch-and-shoots out of the corner. It should be noted Grimes can nail it from nearly anywhere in nearly any way. He can spot up or curl off a double screen, and has tremendous off-ball IQ getting him in perfect spots.
With the ball, Grimes gets real interesting. He shot 42.3% on off the dribble threes, an impressive number before you even consider the degree of difficulty on these shots. He’ll hit pull-ups from beyond NBA range, contested pull-ups, and pull-ups off the pick-and-roll as a ball handler. Some moves you only see once or twice but get you excited about Grimes’s ceiling as a scorer – like a Jayson Tatum-esque side-step three.
This pull-up game extends into the deep mid-range, where Grimes can also stop on a dime to rise and fire. There could be potential for Grimes to evolve into more of a scorer from this area, given his threat to hit from deep and some sporadic promising footwork. He’ll need to improve from the in-between range first.
New York will be able to rely on Grimes as a knockdown shooter out of the gates, but his pick-and-roll and one-on-one games will be highly driven by how he develops his handle. It’s a bit on the raw side for a guard, with Grimes able to create great space when he connects on one move, but not ready to string multiple moves together. His mishandles caused a number of turnovers this past season, but if he can sharpen them up, it’ll open up a ton for him.
Creating for others will also be a point of improvement. Despite all the defensive attention Grimes gets, he barely mustered a positive assist-to-turnover ratio. He definitely has some baseline passing skills, but mostly looked to score in college and may never be a primary creator in the league.
That’s perfectly fine, as Grimes contributes in other ways. His defense is arguably his best NBA talent. Grimes moves extremely well laterally and bodies up scorers to much success. His 6-foot-7 wingspan helps crowd passing lanes and he’s got a knack for getting out on jumpers, even blocking multiple perimeter attempts.
Though his athleticism doesn’t stand out among other prospects, Grimes has great bursts of speed and can get above the rim well. This not only helps on the defensive end, but in conjunction with his eye for the ball, nets him 5.7 rebounds per game. That’s a big number for a guard, making a tandem with RJ Barrett a fun exercise in annoying opponents on the boards. His athleticism also makes him an effective transition scorer, which hopefully should translate down the line into some better finishing in the halfcourt.
Some Knicks fans may have been upset their team didn’t take a bigger swing on draft night, but the small ones they did take may yet turn out far better than anticipated. Grimes will be ready to compete, shoot and guard from day one, making him a great contribution to this roster. If he unlocks more of his game, he could be one of the major steals of this draft.