Quentin Grimes looks to continue progressing as more than just a shooter
The Knicks’ starting shooting guard has found many ways to be effective this season despite regressing from deep.
By
Jwiesel13 Feb 23, 2023, 8:48am EST
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Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports
Going into the 2022-23 season, it was unknown if
Knicks shooting guard Quentin Grimes would be starting or coming off the bench. Once Grimes was injured and unable to start the season, Evan Fournier took the spot. Seven games into the season, Grimes replaced Fournier in the starting lineup and has held the position all season.
To get a better picture of Grimes, it’s worth looking back on his NBA rookie season and the jump he made in college:
The 25th overall selection in the 2021 NBA draft, Grimes had a decent but injury-plagued rookie season. Appearing in 46 games (starting six), he played 17.1 minutes, averaging six points. Attempting 4.1 three-pointers per game, Grimes shot 38.1 percent from deep. Those stats would have been the top of his rookie class if he had met the minimum requirements. According to
Statmuse,
Pacers guard Chris Duarte led the 2021-22 class in three-point percentage at 36.9 percent. A player had to hit at least 82 three-pointers to make the list, and Grimes only hit 72. Regardless of silly requirements, the Knicks’ first-round pick definitely showed an ability to shoot, and it looked like the Knicks had a draft steal.
A concern with Grimes during his rookie year was how he would evolve as a player.
In college, he attended Kansas for his freshman year before transferring to the University of Houston for his sophomore and junior seasons. At Houston, he took a leap from his sophomore to junior year and raised his scoring from 12.1 to 17.8. Two big areas of improvement were raising his three-point percentage from 32.6 percent to 40.3 and free-throw from 66.0 percent to 78.8. Always pesky on the defensive end, his 1.7 steals per game and 2.4 defensive win shares stood out. He would lead Houston to the Final Four in the 2020-21 season.
Looking back on
nbadraft.net, Grimes’s NBA comparison ironically was now Knicks teammate Josh Hart. He was applauded for his defense and shooting and knocked for his handle and lack of shot creation.
Projected as a quality NBA guard, Grimes possessed the size and physicality needed to be a primary defender and shooter.
2022-23 season:
Already playing in more games this season (49) than last season (46), it gives us a sample size to compare how Grimes has progressed. Playing 30.2 minutes per game, he’s seen an increase in production across the board. Except for one major area.
Cons: Three-point shooting percentage
His three-point shooting dip is a bit of a concern. After shooting 38.1 percent in his rookie season, that number has turned to 34.8 percent this season. The dropoff has been disappointing and contributes to why the Knicks have been one of the worst outside-shooting teams all season. To take a positive, he continues to look comfortable from the left corner. He shot 48.5 percent from there during his rookie season and is shooting 49.2 percent this season despite 26 more attempts to this point.
Giving Grimes the benefit of the doubt, this is only his first full NBA season. Not dismissing it’s been a problem, but rather trying to take an optimistic outlook approach. His shooting should hopefully come back around, but it’s been other facets of his game that have been noticeable.