Getty Quentin Grimes, Knicks
After missing out on Donovan Mitchell, the New York Knicks aren’t predicted to make any other big moves before the start of the season.
It was long though the Knicks have the ability to put together the best offer for the star guard, and while that may have been the case, New York never put all of their eggs into one basket.
The Jazz coveted both RJ Barrett and Quentin Grimes, but the Knicks never offered both of them in the same deal. Despite going into just his second season now, the Knicks clearly hold a lot of value in Grimes and they are expecting him to make a big leap.
He averaged just over six points per game last season, but it seems like Tom Thibodeau has bigger plans for him in the upcoming season.
Grimes Holds Value
According to SNY’s Ian Begley, the Knicks weren’t willing to put Grimes and Barrett in the same offer for Mitchell, so that helps explain why they were never together in any of the deals that eventually became public.
“A source confirmed that they were against including Barrett and Grimes in packages that would have satisfied the Jazz, as ESPN reported,” he said.
Building on that, Thibodeau, although against the Cam Reddish trade as a whole, did fight to keep Grimes in that trade. Kevin Knox was eventually sent over to the Hawks in exchange for Reddish.
“Grimes earned Tom Thibodeau’s trust after he was thrust into the rotation due to injuries from veterans,” wrote Begley. “Thibodeau was against trading Grimes in discussions with Atlanta over the Cam Reddish trade. So it’s safe to say that Grimes will have a spot in Thibodeau’s rotation.”
The 22-year-old clearly holds a lot of value within the organization, and a lot of that might just come down to Thibodeau. It’s no secret Thibs likes defensive players, and Grimes’ length and instincts make him a perfect fit within the system. Through 46 games last season, Grimes averaged 17.1 minutes per game, so if that number shoots up another 10, we might be looking at a new impact player for the Knicks.
According to a prediction from Basketball Reference, Grimes’ scoring will skyrocket to over 13 PPG and he’ll chip in 1.4 steals per game. Of course, that will have to mean he’s getting more minutes and possibly starting. As it stands right now, it seems unlikely that Thibodeau will have Evan Fournier become the sixth man, especially considering he’s one of the team’s highest-paid players.
Future Star?
Because of how hard the team fought to hold onto Grimes, it fair to suggest the Knicks are predicting a breakout from him in the near future.
“One thing is clear: the Knicks are looking to RJ Barrett, Jalen Brunson and Grimes to produce this season,” Begley says.
It’s tough to gauge exactly what type of leap Grimes will make in the upcoming season, but he was a star in the Summer League, so he might surprise a lot of fans in the very near future.
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