The Quentin Grimes Mystery

Heading into the 2023–24 NBA season, Knicks shooting guard Quentin Grimes looked to be in a good place.

He was coming off a 2022–23 sophomore campaign that saw him play in 71 regular-season games and start in 66. Playing 30 minutes per game, Grimes averaged 11.3 points and knocked down 2.2 three-pointers at 38.6 percent from deep. The Knicks guard was also +4.8 in win shares.

In my player preview of Quentin Grimes, I labeled it as his important third year. He had a nice second season, and there was a natural progression many were expecting to see. The 23-year-old was selected to participate on the United States select team this summer. Everything was looking up for Grimes, as he also spent time working out with JJ Redick this offseason.

Where we are now:

This season has not gone as planned for Quentin Grimes.

He has started in all 16 games he’s played in, but Grimes is only averaging 6.3 points and playing 23.3 minutes per game. It’s not just that his field goal attempts are down from 8.5 last season to 6.2 this season; he’s also shooting it worse. His field goal percentage has dropped from 46.8 percent to 36.4 percent. From three, Grimes is only connecting on 35.8 percent of his 5.1 attempts per game. Last season, he finished third on the Knicks in three-pointers made and knocked down 38.6 percent of his 5.7 attempts.

Grimes's production is down, averaging 1.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists. Last season, Grimes saw 6.0 rebounding chances per game and averaged 3.6 rebounds. When it came to assists, he averaged 2.1 but averaged 3.3 potential assists per game. This season, he’s only averaging 4.6 rebounding chances and 1.9 potential assists.

The defense hasn’t been too bad. Grimes has a better defensive rating this season than last. He is also a +0.4 in defensive win shares and a +1.0 in defensive box plus/minus.

His struggles have been on the offensive end, where he has a 106.9 offensive rating compared to 118.6 last season. The Knick's shooting guard is a -3.6 in offensive box plus/minus, which is a lot worse than the -0.3 he finished last season.

His overall plus/minus sits the worst on the Knicks roster through nearly 22 percent of the season.

It’s still early in the season, but this has definitely been a bit concerning. He’s playing less and also playing worse. This isn't the timeline a young player of his caliber should be having. His leash appears to be very short with the emergence of Immanuel Quickley and the addition of Donte DiVincenzo.

There’s a lot to like about the 23-year-old versatile guard. Hopefully, he can turn it around soon.

Here’s a positive moment from Grimes this season:

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