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Knicks, Quentin Grimes Hit a Painful, Telling Landmark

The fact that Quentin Grimes missed out on the death of the New York Knicks' winning streak is likely no coincidence.

Geoff Magliocchetti

New York Knicks fans have gotten almost everything on their Christmas list as their team engages in a holiday homestand that concludes on Dec. 25 itself. 

Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle have lived up to the nine-figure billing on their respective contracts, the team embarked on an eight-game winning streak, there are stocking-stuffers left and right thanks to the plethora of draft picks earned over the summer, and the Knicks are in relatively safe ground when it comes to the premature NBA playoff picture: entering Friday's visit from the Chicago Bulls (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG), the Knicks are 4.5 games up on the postseason outliers and, in fact, hold the last of the Eastern Conference's six automatic playoff spots. 

Alas, like many a great Christmas, not all of the desired presents can be found under the tree. 

Knicks fans long lobbied to see 2021 first-round pick Quentin Grimes break head coach Tom Thibodeau's unspoken, if not apparent, moratorium on younger players making lineup contributions. Thibodeau's long-awaited acquiescence celebrated a bit of a landmark this week: the Knicks completed their yearly pair against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night, just over a month after the sides met in San Francisco for part one. The pre-Thanksgiving affair marked the last game before Grimes was inserted into the starting lineup on a full-time basis, a move necessitated by a Cam Reddish injury. 

Grimes fully vindicated the touted faith of Knicks fans as the team's primary shooting guard: New York went 10-5 with Grimes among those introduced at the start of games, becoming a valuable prescience on both sides of the ball. During the Knicks' eight-game winning streak, one tied for the second-longest in the NBA this season, Grimes averaged 13.3 points and 4.5 rebounds while the Knicks were a jaw-dropping plus-102 when he was on the floor.

His defensive prowess alongside a fellow new member of Thibodeau's nine-man set Miles McBride likewise impressed: during the streak, the Knicks allowed their opponent to break triple digits only three times.

“The way he plays defense, he reads closeouts so well,” Thibodeau said of Grimes after the Knicks earned a 113-89 demolition of the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 7, per the New York Post. “It’s only going to get better and better as he gains more knowledge and gets more familiar with each guy. He studies. He has a knack for it. He’s a multiple-effort guy. The way he plays is the way he practices. Some guys practice half-speed and it’s a tough adjustment in the games. He’s the ultimate gym rat: comes early, stays late, a great competitor.”

“He’s huge for us,” Randle said in the same report. “He competes on the defensive end of the floor and that makes a difference.”

It's thus, perhaps, not much of a coincidence that the Knicks' dominant defensive prowess came to an end when Grimes had to step out of the starting five. A reported sprained ankle kept him out of the Toronto Raptors' visit, the ailment likely sustained in the second quarter of the final win of the Knicks' streak. Putting up a three-point jumper in the final minute of the first half, Grimes fell down awkwardly on the foot of defender Ty Jerome. 

His medically induced departure led to a relative defensive lapse on the Knicks' end: New York allowed the reeling Raptors to jump out to a 10-point halftime lead after forcing only three turnovers and let up 16 offensive rebounds in what became a 113-106 defeat. Most of the winning tally came from the arms of Pascal Siakam, who became only the ninth opponent to score at least 50 points in a regulation game at Madison Square Garden.

Though perhaps marred by Wednesday's back-to-back nature, the 132-94 Tuesday win over the Golden State Warriors will not be soon forgotten: it was a game headlined by a suffocating defensive effort that proved impressive no matter how many weapons the defending champions were missing and a nationally televised notice that the Knicks (18-14) are at least capable of invading six-team penthouse of the East's playoff structure.

The win over the Warriors served as a perfect landmark for Grimes' impact on metropolitan basketball affairs: while Grimes writhed in pain immediately after the incident, he remained in the game and put up 19 points, 12 coming from a 4-of-8 output from three-point range. Grimes was also a game-best 33 as the Knicks commenced their blowout. In the last meeting, Grimes was still trying to carve himself a role in the New York rotation, playing only two minutes in a 111-101 defeat.

According to The Post, Thibodeau does not believe that Grimes' ailment is "anything long-term," though it'd be no shock to see the Knicks be cautious: Grimes' ascension into the Knicks' lineup partly delayed by ankle soreness throughout training camp.

But the gala against Golden State served as a delightful fulfillment and indicator of the Knicks' in-season progress, one undoubtedly pushed ahead by Grimes' efforts. When he returns, be it before or after the Knicks' Yuletide showcase against the Philadelphia 76ers, don't expect him to take it easy, even with his health in question or his spot in the team's regular lineup apparently secure.

“I like making it hard for somebody to score on me. I just look at it as a personal challenge, more of a pride thing. I can take on the challenge of whoever it is," Grimes told the New York Daily News of his defensive mindset earlier this month, though he feels he earned the nod in the opening five thanks to a lack of offensive hesitancy, which he fully intends to keep rolling. 

“I knew (a primary role) wasn’t going to be handed to me. I had to go out there and work for it," he said. "Making shots is just part of what I do. I feel like I’ve been trusting my work and my confidence will never waver. Even if I’m 0-for-30, I’m still taking the next 10 shots no matter what.” 

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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Geoff Magliocchetti
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI

Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks

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