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Knicks 'Defensive Pest' Quentin Grimes Eyes Upward Trajectory

Quentin Grimes was celebrated for his defense and awarded with a starting role for the New York Knicks this past season.

Jeremy Brener

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The New York Knicks looked very different in the backcourt this past season compared to a year ago.

Of course, Jalen Brunson wasn't there, but Quentin Grimes didn't see the floor too much. That changed this past season after starting 66 games at the shooting guard spot for the Knicks. While he doesn't account for the complete improvement of the Knicks, he certainly deserves a sizeable chunk of the credit.

"The Knicks didn't play Grimes enough as a rookie in 2021-22, but they didn't make that same mistake this past season," Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey wrote of Grimes when listing each team's top three prospects. "He tallied New York's fourth-most starts (66) and fifth-most minutes (2,121) while serving as both a knockdown shooter from distance (157 triples on 38.6 percent shooting) and a defensive pest."

At 6-5, Grimes isn't tall, but he has active hands always looking to turn the ball over or to make an opponent's shot as miserable as possible. That's a big reason why he gained favor with head coach Tom Thibodeau.

“Coming to the NBA last year, you gotta kinda earn your trust. You gotta earn every minute you get on the court and I feel like defensively was something that’s never gonna go away,” Grimes told Jackson Frank of UPROXX earlier this year. “You can always put a guy defensively out there on the court. That’s where I kind of had to earn my trust with Thibs last year, just being a guy, come in there and play super hard and guard the best player.”

Now with Donte DiVincenzo in the fold, it remains to be seen if Grimes will stay in the starting lineup. But as a 23-year-old with only two years of experience in the NBA, this could be just the tip of the iceberg for what's to come in his career.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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