Knicks' Quentin Grimes gets his shot, and he nails it
Quentin Grimes #6 of the New York Knicks celebrates a three pointer in overtime against the Chicago Bulls at United Center on December 14, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. Credit: Getty Images/Michael Reaves
CHICAGO — For much of the night Wednesday Quentin Grimes' task was to try to defend the Bulls’ dynamic pair of Demar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, taking turns on the two very different and very dangerous scorers.
But as the game wore down and the Chicago defense closed in on Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, the Knicks put their trust in the other part of Grimes’ skill set. He had not even attempted a shot in the second or third quarters, but down the stretch with the clock running down the Knicks found him and he delivered.
With the score tied at 107 and 4:12 left, Grimes hit a three-pointer. It was his first shot attempt since the first quarter. He then connected from three again with 54 seconds remaining and the Knicks clinging to a one-point lead. In overtime, with the Knicks up three and 1:04 remaining and the shot clock down to two, Randle drew three defenders in the lane and kicked the ball out to Grimes. He fired and bounced a three in off the front rim.
He waited his turn and when it came, he delivered.
“I don’t think it’s hard at all,” Grimes said. “It’s kind of what I would go through last year. You’ve got to be ready. You know what I mean? You’ve got to be ready. It’s your role. Got to be able to go out there and make these tough shots. You’ve got to be ready at all times. That’s my mindset coming in — be ready. Whenever I get it I’m going to shoot it.
“I mean [my confidence is] high. It’s always been high. Making shots is just part of what I do. I feel like I’ve been trusting my work and my confidence will never waver — even if I’m 0-for-30, I’m still taking the next 10 shots no matter what.”
“It says a lot because he’s put a lot of work into it,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “When you ask him where his confidence comes from, it comes from his preparation, when you shoot as much as he shoots — and we track it. I can tell you left-right, depth of the shot, arc of the shot. This guy has made a major, major commitment and it didn’t start when we drafted him. He had that in him. If you look at his shot profile in college, it’ll tell you the same thing. So he’s driven. He prepares himself extremely well. His teammates want to see him shoot if he’s open.”
Grimes, who had 14 points, has steadily begun to regain his form and rhythm after struggling through a foot injury through training camp and the first month of the season. In 12 games since entering the starting lineup, he is averaging 10.1 points per game and shooting 48.5% (35.2% from beyond the arc). In the last four games he has converted 50% from three-point range and 54.3% overall.
“He’s great. He’s been really special,” Brunson said. “I talked about early in the year that beginning of the year was a struggle for him, trying to get healthy, trying to get on the court. But he feels great, he looks great and he’s really producing for us.”
“He's ready for the moment,” Randle said. “That's just what he does. He's ready to step up when he's called on. He's amazing.”
With the Knicks facing the Bulls at the United Center again Friday night, Grimes knows that he has to focus on the other end once again.
“They’re a two-headed monster,” he said of DeRozan and LaVine. “They come in, you’ve got DeRozan who lives in the mid-range, LaVine can get to all three levels, so you really have to be on your toes at all times. They make it tough on me but I think me and Deuce [McBride] enjoy that. We love coming in, trying to close somebody down, shut somebody up. It’s fun competing, going out like that every night.”
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.
