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Quentin Grimes continued his hot streak April 2 to help the New York Knicks clinch a playoff berth. Grimes, who’s averaging 20.8 points in his past six games, attributed his success to a playmaking mentality. And his coach said “you can’t fake” the commitment Grimes has shown.
“Just coming out aggressive,” Grimes told MSG Network’s Bill Pidto. “Every time I step on the court, my mentality is to score and make a play for myself and my teammates. I felt like going out there and playing as hard as I could. Be aggressive on offense and defense.”
The second-year wing is heading to his first NBA playoffs after dropping 27 points in a 118-109 Knicks victory over the shorthanded Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden.
Grimes scored 18 points in the second half, where the Knicks dominated the Wizards 65-48 to overcome a 10-point deficit early in the game. It was Grimes’ sixth consecutive double-digit scoring game and fourth 20-point game during that span. He also is averaging 4.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 52.4% from the field and 50% from the 3-point zone. Against the Wizards, he shot 6-for-11 from deep.
He was ecstatic after the victory.
“It was great [to make the playoffs],” Grimes told Pidto. “It was one of the goals of the team coming [into the season] after we fell short last year. So it felt good to get the win and clinch a playoff spot.”
The Knicks are already assured of a top-six finish, but it is still mathematically possible to catch the Cleveland Cavaliers in the fourth seed if they sweep their remaining three games and the Cavs lose their last three games. The Knicks can clinch the fifth seed with a win or a Brooklyn Nets loss.
Quentin Grimes’ Work Ethic
After Grimes was made untouchable in the failed Donovan Mitchell trade talks last summer, expectations for him were high. But a foot injury at the start of the training camp derailed his development. After missing the entire training camp and the first six games of the season, Grimes started slow, averaging only 5.5 points on 18.8 minutes in November.
Even after he was made the starting shooting guard, supplanting veteran Evan Fournier from the rotation, Grimes could not find consistency on the offensive end in a starting lineup loaded with scoring threats.
Grimes focused on his role as the primary perimeter stopper of the starting unit, often tasked to defend the opposing team’s best player. According to Bball Index, Grimes has faced the toughest matchups in the league, yet his point-of-attack defense is among the elite.
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Thibodeau said he was not surprised when Grimes went into this torrid stretch heading into his first playoff appearance.
“We know [he’s progressing] because we see him every day,” Thibodeau told reporters after the game. “And what he did last year, we he got established. Then to see him in the gym every day all summer, so you can’t fake that stuff. You see it. You see the commitment to the work and to the team.”
The uptick in playing time (from 17.1 to 29.6 minutes) from his rookie season meant more opportunities to fire 3-pointers. His 3-point volume increased from 5.1 to 8.0 attempts per game, but his accuracy remained sharp at 38%, 2% above the league average.
“You see how well he shoots the ball. We know [because] we track every shot so that I can tell you,” Thibodeau said, referring to the 2021 installation of the Noah Basketball Shot Tracking System in their practice facility.
“[Based on] the volume of shots he puts up, you know he’s going to be a very good offensive player,” Thibodeau said. “And then to play the way he plays defensively, to take that challenge [of guarding the opposing team’s best player], we’ve seen him put the ball on the floor more. So we’re seeing a lot of really good things from him, and that intensity is important for us.”
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