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It wasn’t one explicit factor that Quentin Grimes did prior to now two video games that wowed you. It wasn’t simply his shot-making or his protection or his play-making or his ball-moving.
It was every little thing.
It was a glimpse into why the Knicks and coach Tom Thibodeau are so excessive on him. It was what everybody noticed in the course of the Las Vegas Summer time League, when the second-year guard was so spectacular throughout the board, exhibiting he was greater than only a spot-up shooter.
With Cam Reddish and Derrick Rose lacking the ultimate two video games of the latest five-game highway journey resulting from harm, the Knicks lastly unleashed Grimes, and he produced at each ends of the ground. He had 10 factors, eight assists and 5 rebounds in a loss to the Suns, and he put up eight factors, 5 rebounds and two steals in a win over Thunder. He began and performed at the very least 32 minutes in every contest.
Eight days after permitting Oklahoma Metropolis to place up 145 factors on the Backyard, the Knicks held the Thunder in examine. Grimes was an element — the Knicks outscored the Thunder by 9 factors whereas he was on the ground — serving to to restrict star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander into an inefficient 9-of-22 capturing efficiency.
It was a very long time coming for the 6-foot-4 Grimes, who missed virtually the whole preseason resulting from a sore left foot and a big chunk of the primary month to the season because the foot continued to behave up. Lastly wholesome and capable of log main minutes, Grimes produced, and he might be solidifying himself because the beginning capturing guard (even after Cam Reddish returns from a groin harm). Grimes might have had the job on opening evening if not for the foot harm.
My favourite factor about how Grimes carried out on the offensive finish was his fast selections. He doesn’t dribble a lot, preferring to behave shortly, whether or not that’s swinging the ball, attacking or in search of his shot.
Try this assertive drive for a layup in opposition to the Thunder after taking a cross outdoors the 3-point arc:
Or this drive and dish to Isaiah Hartenstein from the Suns recreation:
When the Knicks have struggled on the offensive finish, it’s usually been the results of the offense stagnating and resorting to an excessive amount of isolation play. Jalen Brunson has improved their move, and Grimes will add to it. Thibodeau likes to say: The sport tells you what to do. Grimes simply appears to play with that line in thoughts. He steadily makes the precise play.
Defensively, the 22-year-old Texan doesn’t have nice measurement for a wing, however he’s bodily, fast and sensible. He has energetic fingers, can keep in entrance of his man — a serious bonus for the Knicks, who've struggled defending the perimeter — and does his greatest to problem each shot.
He competes. Grimes simply appears like a Thibodeau kind of participant.
Now, look, it's an clearly small pattern measurement. Grimes wants to remain wholesome. He has to proceed to carry out. He's nonetheless very unproven. Who is aware of the place this goes from right here? However the Knicks didn’t need to lose Grimes throughout offseason commerce talks with the Jazz relating to Donovan Mitchell due to the potential they noticed in him. The final two video games confirmed glimpses of that upside.
Residence, get cooking
Via practically 1 / 4 of the season, the Knicks have carried out higher on the highway than at house when you think about the extent of competitors. They personal highway wins over the Timberwolves, 76ers (albeit with out James Harden and Joel Embiid), Jazz, Nuggets and Thunder. They performed the Grizzlies and Cavaliers very powerful.
Now they should carry out higher in opposition to high quality opponents at house. The Knicks are 4-3 on the Backyard, however these 4 wins have come in opposition to the Pistons (twice), Magic and intensely shorthanded Hornets, groups which might be a mixed 15-42. They weren’t actually even within the recreation late within the fourth quarter of their three losses in opposition to the Celtics, Thunder and Hawks, and that’s regardless of holding huge first-half leads in opposition to the latter two. Their protection was significantly dangerous in these losses, permitting a median of 130 factors and mixed 48.3 % 3-point capturing.
The upcoming slate will give the Knicks an opportunity to start to construct a home-court benefit, and so they’ll must beat projected playoff groups to do it. The Path Blazers and Grizzlies cease by this weekend, the Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo go to Wednesday, and the Mavericks and Cavaliers make up a frightening back-to-back beginning every week from Saturday earlier than the Hawks and Trae Younger return three days later.
This isn’t a brand new drawback. The Knicks had been 17-24 on the Backyard final yr. Solely three groups within the Japanese Convention — the Pistons, Pacers and Magic — gained fewer occasions at house.
Griffin retreating
Westchester native and one-and-done Duke wing A.J. Griffin was linked to the Knicks within the lead-up to June’s NBA Draft. A number of consultants projected Griffin to the Knicks with the eleventh general choice.
However group president Leon Rose by no means made a range, as a substitute buying and selling the choose to the Thunder for 3 future first-round picks. The Knicks then acquired the No. 13 choose in change for 5 future draft picks and dealt it to the Pistons, together with Kemba Walker, to shed his $9.2 million wage.
Griffin is off to a pleasant begin with the Hawks, who took him with the No. 16 choose. With De’Andre Hunter out of the lineup earlier this week, Griffin performed 30-plus minutes in back-to-back video games, scoring 17 factors in every, together with the game-winning layup in an time beyond regulation victory Saturday over the Raptors. On Wednesday evening, he returned to the bench and scored 12 factors in 24 minutes. Most noteworthy, Griffin is capturing 39.1 % from deep. The Knicks are next-to-last within the league in 3-point capturing share at 31.6 %, barely forward of the Lakers (30.6).
Now, it ought to be famous that by buying and selling out of the primary around the Knicks had been capable of clear sufficient salary-cap area to land Jalen Brunson, who has been a house run of a signing, and so they did add future draft property that might be used to land a coveted celebrity down the highway.
Griffin, 19, was removed from a house run. Groups had been involved about his harm historical past, the restricted athleticism he confirmed at Duke and his lack of consistency, scouts informed The Publish previous to the draft. However he has been productive for the 11-7 Hawks, averaging 8.6 factors in 16.9 minutes, and has outplayed wings reminiscent of Ochai Agbaji and Johnny Davis who had been chosen forward of him.
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