Quentin Grimes has provided Knicks with much-needed lift on both ends of the floor

During his pregame media sessions Tom Thibodeau regularly engages in gamesmanship, refusing to disclose his starting lineup — even if it’s the same one he’s used for weeks. So it was no surprise that on Friday night, while he acknowledged that Quentin Grimes was back after missing Wednesday night’s game, he would not disclose whether Grimes would be back in the starting lineup.

This may have been the easiest case of Thibodeau trickery to decipher because no matter what he said, the reality was that Grimes has proven his value — not just in the 15 consecutive games he’s started, but in the latest game when he was absent with a sprained right ankle.

“The thing is, obviously he’s an elite defender,” Thibodeau said before Friday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden. “He’s a terrific 3-point shooter. But that’s part of the season. You’re gonna have guys that miss games or foul trouble, whatever it might be. Next guy, get in there.”

Thibodeau was pleased with what the Knicks got from Immanuel Quickley in his first start of the season Wednesday in Grimes’ place, but Grimes has already shown his value on both ends of the floor. The Knicks won 10 of those 15 games with Grimes in the starting lineup, including an eight-game winning streak which ended Wednesday without him on the court.

With Grimes rehabilitating a sore left foot through training camp, Thibodeau said that the starting job belonged to Evan Fournier. Fournier held the position down early on, but fell out of favor with Thibodeau. Cam Reddish played for an eight-game stretch while Grimes was still working his way back. But both of those players are tucked at the end of the bench, not in the rotation at all anymore.

Grimes has steadily gained the trust of his teammates, fitting securely into the lineup alongside established veterans like Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle and RJ Barrett.

“He competes,” Randle said earlier in the week. “I noticed that last year when he got minutes. He doesn't try to get out of character and do something he's not comfortable doing offensively but I know defensively, he's going to compete on the ball, he's going to fight over screens, try to make it tough for the other guy and accept the challenge. You got to love a guy like that.”

“You see it,” Barrett said. “He’s out there guarding the best ball handler every night. So, he comes with energy, making it tough on the other team. Offensively, he’s shooting the ball really well, and he’s getting to the paint, so he’s doing a lot out there for us.”

In that 15-game starting stretch he averaged 11.2 points per game, shot 39.2% beyond the arc and most importantly, guarded the best perimeter player every night to spearhead a defense that has been the best in the NBA in recent weeks.

While the Knicks may hope that he emerges as their version of Phoenix’s Mikel Bridges, a versatile defender who can be a dangerous scorer when needed, the team may see a less-heralded comparison, but one that is highly-valued in their locker room. That player is Reggie Bullock, who they allowed to escape as a free agent after their fourth-place finish two seasons ago.

“In some ways, yes,” Thibodeau said. “In the sense that I thought Reggie was an elite defender for us and he could guard the best players. He could guard point guards, he could guard really one through four. Quentin can do the same. Both were knockdown three-point shooters. So they complement, create space for your primary scorers.”

“Yeah, very much,” Randle agreed. “Good comparison.”

“Yeah, for sure,” Barrett added. “A great defender and really good shooter, so he’s really doing a lot for us and we need him and we appreciate it.”

By Steve Popper

steve.popper@newsday.com@StevePopper

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.