Apr 2, 2023; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Quentin Grimes (6) on defense during the first half against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Knicks’ Quentin Grimes reveals why he had to embrace defensive mentality
If you’re a New York Knicks fan that wants to learn more about how Quentin Grimes ticks, and that should be every fan, UPROXX wrote a feature on the second-year guard that is a must-read. He’s blossomed into a starter at the age of 22 for the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, but there’s a lot more to Grimes that fans can’t get from how he performs on the court.
Grimes has emerged as one of the best young 3-and-D wings in the league, but defense hasn’t always been his focus. Most Knicks fans are aware that he started his collegiate career at Kansas, where he spent one season, before transferring back home to Houston to play for Kelvin Sampson. Grimes averaged 8.4 points as a Jayhawk and shot only 38.4% from the field and 34% from three.
After what was deemed a disappointing year with Kansas, Grimes was able to reinvent himself under Sampson.
“Coach Sampson, at U of H, he did a good job of [teaching that] you can have a great game and go 2-of-10,” Grimes says. “Defensively, you could be making and causing havoc, getting steals, loose balls, just do whatever you can to help the team win.”
Knicks’ Quentin Grimes became defensive specialist at Houston under Kelvin Sampson
Ironically enough, Quentin Grimes went from Kelvin Sampson to Tom Thibodeau. The defensive-minded head coach had to be thrilled when New York drafted Grimes in 2021, even if he didn’t show it. Grimes is the type of player that Thibodeau loves, which is what helped the guard to climb his way up to the starting lineup.
“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 says. “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 the playoffs set to begin in a little over a week, Grimes will likely be tasked with guarding Donovan Mitchell. That’s a sentence that Knicks fans would’ve been thrilled to read during the offseason when they were pushing for Grimes to replace Evan Fournier as a starter. Thibodeau loves his veterans, but Grimes proved that he was too good to be left on the bench.
If only the Kansas version of Quentin Grimes could’ve seen what he’d be able to accomplish in only two short years in the NBA, and his second year isn’t even over yet.
