Knicks' Quentin Grimes uses All-Star time to work on defense
The Knicks' Quentin Grimes against Orlando on Feb. 7, 2023. Credit: AP/John Raoux
SALT LAKE CITY — It was morning with near-empty stands at Jon M. Huntsman Center on the University of Utah campus, and Quentin Grimes was gathered with the rest of the participants in the Rising Stars Challenge for a practice session for Friday night’s games. And while most of the players were working on three-point shots or plotting out some move to get on a highlight reel, Grimes was, well, doing something unusual.
Grimes was paired with Celtics assistant coach Tony Dobbins, and outside the crowd of players working on their shots, he was taking turns working on getting open against Dobbins. Then he repeatedly worked on defense, squaring up against Dobbins and working up a sweat while scrambling to shut him down.
Grimes scored 14 points in the final as Team Joakim lost to Team Pau, 25-20. He had 13 points in the semifinal as Team Joakim beat Team Jason, 40-32. He shot 10-for-14 overall and 6-for-10 from three-point range in the two games.
“Everything I imagined growing up as a kid,’’ he said. “All the stars and celebrities in the front row. Everything I imagined.”
Tom Thibodeau sent Julius Randle out to Sunday night’s All-Star Game with an instruction relayed through Randle’s 6-year-old son, Kyden: “Tell your dad we want him to play defense in the All-Star Game.” Grimes didn’t need the reminder.
“I don’t think he had to tell me that,” he said with a smile. “I think he knows I’m going to come out and play hard, play my game, do my defensive thing. I feel like he knows I’m going to do whatever I can to get the win.”
Grimes’ words may warm Thibodeau’s heart, but if the second-year wing was bringing some of his fundamentals with him to All-Star Weekend, he also was intent on enjoying the show — and being a part of it.
“I think in this type of game, I’m going to bring out what I used to do in high school and stuff like that,” Grimes said beforehand. “During the season, you’ve got to know your role and not be too flashy, but I feel like in a game like this, even though it’s going to be competitive, hopefully I can bring out some stuff that you don’t normally see from me in the regular season.”
Grimes quickly has found a place for himself in the NBA, earning a starting job with the Knicks. He is a key piece of a turnaround this season that has them in sixth place in the Eastern Conference at the break.
He never hesitated about joining in when he was selected, even if the grind of the NBA season has seemed to wear on him of late. He hopped on a private jet with Randle and Jericho Sims from Atlanta after the Knicks’ final game before the break and tried to soak in the atmosphere — albeit a chilly one in Utah while most of his contemporaries were headed to some beach vacation.
“Definitely when I first got here [Thursday], it was a lot of excitement,” Grimes said. “I got to the hotel and saw a lot of players you compete against during the regular season. Finally being here, going out and competing with them is going to be fun, for sure.
“It’s kind of giving a McDonald’s All-American, Jordan Brand Classic [feeling], seeing all the guys that you see all the time, playing against them, watching them for a long time. So it’s fun to come out here with a friendly atmosphere, come out here and really have a good time at All-Star Weekend. I’d rather do this. I love hooping. Any chance I get to hoop, I’m going to do it. So I wouldn’t miss it for the world. But right after the game, I’m going back to Houston and get some warm weather before I’ve got to go back to New York.
“Definitely something you shouldn’t take lightly,” he added of the opportunity. “You should be happy that you achieved something like this, also celebrate it and enjoy it and not just, ‘Oh, I made it, on to the next.’ Enjoy it, soak it all in, and then once you get past the weekend, set another goal for yourself. There’s always a chance to strive for something more.”
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.
