Do New York Knicks Have a Quentin Grimes Problem?

Quentin Grimes' early struggles could have an impact on the New York Knicks' past, present, and future.

The New York Knicks are facing a downright Grimey situation in their rotation.

Mike Walczewski has had one of the simpler jobs in sports over the past year, as Madison Square Garden's public address announcer for Knicks games has rarely had to account for changes in the starting five. All-Star Julius Randle is the headliner alongside big-ticket acquisitions RJ Barrett and Jalen Brunson, while Quentin Grimes and Mitchell Robinson round out the set.

Grimes remains the freshest member among the five: the 25th pick of the 2021 draft began last season as an observer before usurping Evan Fournier in the primary shooting guard spot by the time the holidays rolled around. The Houston alum has been a staple ever since, fortifying and vindicating management's faith to the tune of a consistent outside shooting ability and strong defense that often drew high-profile assignments. 

Eager to keep his momentum alive, Grimes made sure his offseason was anything but: he spent the summer working alongside basketball royalty, including America's finest on the national team's select group. He'd later partake in private workouts with JJ Redick, leaving a lasting impression on the former Duke star and tenured outside shooter.

"He’s got a great spirit (and a) really outstanding work ethic,” Redick said of Grimes, per Ian Begley of SNY. “I think about a lot of young players that I’ve been around, especially towards the second half of my career and I tell people this all the time: You go into training camp, you go into preseason, you meet a rookie, you meet a second-year guy that’s coming in, looking for his place in the league."

"It’s very easy to figure out after two or three days what this person’s future looks like. Quentin has a very bright future in the NBA.”

Grimes has struggled to pick up where he left off / USA TODAY SPORTS

Not Ready For Grime Time? 

Grimes' present, however, has been rather cloudy: a wrist injury that cost him two games last month somewhat stifled his momentum and he's had trouble retaining it ever since. Over the past six, Grimes is averaging just 2.7 points on 18.5 percent from the floor and the Knicks have lost an average of just under eight points when he has been on the floor. 

While Grimes has retained his role in the Knicks' starting five, statistical expert Tommy Beer offered a damning nugget following Friday's win over Toronto: Grimes has not taken the floor in the final period of any of the Knicks' last five games. 

Even Grimes' victories taste bittersweet: in that last game against the Raptors ... his 17th of the season ... the third-year man hit his first free throw. 

The drop in charity stripe visits is just one area of regression on Grimes' ledger, as he's averaging 6.2 points and 1.2 assists. Grimes was probably never going to be a consistent 20-point threat and it'd be unfair to place that label upon him, especially with so many other skills in his reserves. But averaging less than three points in the backcourt-friendly nature of the modern NBA, especially as a starting five staple, feels like it should be impossible.

Only adding to the junior's plight is the arrival of Donte DiVincenzo, who could perhaps go down as the original Grimes: capable of of shooting and defending, DiVincenzo has basically picked up where Grimes left and has been granted his minutes over the final stages of games. Add DiVincenzo's lingering college chemistry with established franchise cornerstones Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, and it feels like Grimes was doomed from the start. 

That, however, was far from the case.

Grimes had the last laugh against Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs last spring / Dennis Schneidler, USA TODAY SPORTS

Triple Threat

The most alarming part of the ongoing Grimes saga is that the Knicks' investment in him is tied to the franchise's past, present, and future. That middle part speaks for itself but Grimes has quietly become one of the most influential pieces of the Knicks' 2020 blueprint.

As it stands, Grimes sits in a relatively positive brand of basketball purgatory: he has undoubtedly established a future in the NBA for himself, one where he can establish some Redick-like longevity, but it remains to be seen whether that career continues in New York (which has exercised his $4.2 million fourth-year option) or elsewhere. Even with what he's accomplished, however, it's hard to envision Grimes being the primary yield of the Knicks' long-gestating trade for a superstar. 

The Knicks have enough assets (i.e. a plethora of picks, Immanuel Quickley's expiring contract) to make Grimes a complementing piece in a potential deal, but they steadfastly refused to part ways with him when Donovan Mitchell was on the line. It eventually reached the point where Grimes was labeled a "sticking point" in the negotiations and Mitchell's employers in Utah opened the bidding to Cleveland instead. 

At first glance, the Knicks got the last laugh: Grimes' strong defense, particularly on Mitchell, was one of several deciding factors in New York's five-game first-round victory over Cleveland. But Grimes has hardly played like a headliner of a blockbuster deal, which could force them into something drastic at the deadline, like closing the Quickley era early.  

Sticking with Grimes is perhaps one of the many modest successes of the Leon Rose/Tom Thibodeau era anchoring the regime and franchise's long-term prospects.

The team undoubtedly got better when Grimes replaced Fournier but a complete exile of the latter snuffed pretty much all of his trade value. In that same sense, it's admirable to see the Knicks stick with homegrown talent rather than going for the instant gratification of a superstar from abroad, but did it hamper their championship prospects? To top it all off, DiVincenzo has undoubtedly lived up to his offseason hype but it has created a bit of a logjam atop the backcourt depth chart, one that's already rendered defensive stalwart Miles McBride into a de facto 12th man. 

How Knicks' Quentin Grimes Handled Donovan Mitchell Trash Talk

What to Do With Q?

Patience continues to be the name of the game in New York and it's hard to argue with that. While the Knicks (12-7) continue to struggle against the occupiers of the Eastern Conference penthouse (three of seven losses coming to either Boston or Milwaukee), they're pulling off ordinary wins extraordinarily well: with a perfect 10-0 mark in games against teams with active losing records, New York has built itself a decent early cushion in the Eastern playoff chase and just three games behind Boston for the conference lead. 

So Grimes has bought himself some patience in three ways: his previous work (the Knicks went 40-26 when he was in the starting five last season) and a couple of caveats from Thibodeau. The Knicks' boss is reluctant to disturb the flow of a recent winning streak with any large changes and appreciates DiVincenzo's contributions to a sterling one-two backcourt punch off the bench. Those clauses are the same reasons why Thibodeau isn't concerned about RJ Barrett's post-migraine struggles or the call to thrust Quickley into the starting five.

“There’s ups and downs, just be mentally tough,” Thibodeau said of his advice to Grimes after a Thursday win over Detroit, per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. “Play defense, run the floor. You don’t know when it changes. It could change the next play. You get an easy bucket. A shot goes down. He’s a good player. So you’ve got to navigate the good. You can navigate them when it gets tough. Soldier on. That’s it. Just keep going.”

With temporary leeway, Grimes' next chance to prove his value lands on Tuesday when the Knicks face the Milwaukee Bucks in quarterfinal action of the NBA In-Season Tournament (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/TNT).