Apr 7, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New York Knicks guard Quentin Grimes (6) brings the ball up court against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
3 New York Knicks players who could have breakout 2023-24 season
Quentin Grimes, New York Knicks. (Photo by Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports)
2. SG Quentin Grimes
Throughout his first two seasons, Quentin Grimes has shown flashes of stardom. While most know him for his 3-and-D play at the wing, Grimes has shown so much more than that in his young career. His role may limit how often he can show these skills, but those skills are there.
For example, while Grimes is known for being a career 38.4% three-point shooter on good volume, he’s also an incredible finisher. Last season, Grimes finished at the rim at a 74.5% clip. While the rate at which he takes these shots is not too high, it’s still impressive. In addition to this, Grimes has also shown some surprisingly good playmaking instincts.
His average of 2.1 assists per game may not be mind-boggling, but when you watch him play, Grimes can occasionally throw some very impressive passes. It will be interesting to see if Tom Thibodeau runs more sets with Grimes as the primary ball-handler in 2023-24.
Whether he becomes a star or just a great role player, expect to see more improvements out of the 23-year-old next season. Hopefully, Thibs will allow Grimes to expand his game past being a catch-and-shoot player. Regardless, fans know he will be effective on both sides of the ball.
![""](https://dailyknicks.com/2023/07/26/3-new-york-knicks-players-have-breakout-2023-24-season-barrett-grimes-mcbride/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1707,w_2560/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fimagn-images%2F2018%2F08%2F20429223-scaled.jpeg")
!["New](https://dailyknicks.com/2023/07/26/3-new-york-knicks-players-have-breakout-2023-24-season-barrett-grimes-mcbride/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1706,w_2560/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fimagn-images%2F2023%2F05%2F20581915-scaled.jpeg")
especially in the postseason</a>, but all fans can agree that 2022-23 was not great for RJ Barrett. His inconsistencies on both sides of the ball made him a near liability sometimes, making it difficult to watch games. Despite this, fans should still be high on Barrett’s ceiling and the player he could be going into 2023-24.</p>
<p>Last season, Barrett averaged 19.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game, shooting 43.4% from the field and 31.0% from deep on 5.3 attempts. While Barrett did make a notable improvement in finishing at the rim, that’s about the only area that looked better than it did in prior years. In 2021-22, Barrett shot 59.6% at the rim and 44.2% from two-point range, but in 2022-23, Barrett shot a much improved 64.2% at the rim and 49.5% from two.</p>
<p>Despite this improvement at the rim, Barrett saw a decline in points, rebounds, assists, and three-point percentage. While things around him certainly weren’t perfect, he still needed to play better than he did in 2021-22. However, after a solid playoff run, fans are as optimistic as ever that Barrett could make the leap next season.</p>
<p>Hopefully, entering year five, Barrett finally sees marginal improvement. Fans would like to see him become the All-Star he was destined to be, but fans would be happy at this point if Barrett could become a consistent third option.</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="HJeqKVFUyX"><p><a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/07/26/3-new-york-knicks-players-have-breakout-2023-24-season-barrett-grimes-mcbride/2/"https://dailyknicks.com/2023/07/21/11-player-signings-new-york-knicks-never-made-noah-anthony-stoudemire/">11 Player signings the New York Knicks never should’ve made</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" title="“11 Player signings the New York Knicks never should’ve made” — Daily Knicks" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/07/26/3-new-york-knicks-players-have-breakout-2023-24-season-barrett-grimes-mcbride/2/"https://dailyknicks.com/2023/07/21/11-player-signings-new-york-knicks-never-made-noah-anthony-stoudemire/embed/#?secret=yfKiJzOJ8y#?secret=HJeqKVFUyX" data-secret="HJeqKVFUyX" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p></div><!—pageview_candidate—>">
