Knicks rookie Quentin Grimes, after scoring 14 points in 23 minutes of work in Monday night's win, is averaging 10.3 points, 1.2 assists and nearly three 3-pointers per game over his last 10 contests, and has become a fixture in the team's rotation.
He also has caught the eye of his head coach and teammates, who were raving about the first-round pick after his big night against the Kings.
"He's good. He's really good," Julius Randle said. "I know he came in as a shooter…but he competes. What I like is he competes on the defensive end, but I think he has a lot more to his game other than just shooting the ball. He ca get into the lane to finish, he plays at a really good pace, and every time he shoots the ball, it looks like he's going in. I think he's gonna have a bright future in the league."
Grimes' 14 points were his most since scoring 15 on Christmas Day, when he logged 25 minutes for a shorthanded New York team that was still battling through a COVID-19 outbreak. But even with the Knicks nearly at full strength, he has earned a regular role, and has averaged nearly 23 minutes per game over the last 12, and 23.5 over his last six. His head coach says that he's earned every second of that increased playing time.
"This league is about what you earn, and everything matters," Tom Thibodeau said. "How you practice, how you conduct yourself, whether you play one minute or 30 minutes, it doesn't matter. You have to go all-out. And he treats practice like a game…he doesn't take any possessions off. He's not too cool. So that's why he's earned his way. If he plays well and the team plays well, he'll continue to play.
"There's so much more to this than so-called talent. There's a guy's will to win…it's toughness, competitiveness, all those things. I knew he had that in him."
That toughness is just the kind of player Knicks fans appreciate, and those around him clearly love what they're seeing as well. With the 25th pick in last year's draft, it looks like New York may have found something.
"There's little things throughout the game that takes experience and he'll get better at that," Randle said. "He's talented and he can shoot and play defense but he competes. He'll have a long career in the league."
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