Knicks News: Did Quentin Grimes earn more minutes last night?

The Knicks’ home loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers may have been ugly but if there was a bright spot in the game, it was the play of rookie Quentin Grimes.

New York has lost 3 of their last 4 games. In what was supposed to be a relatively easy stretch of games, the team has suddenly has found themselves closer to a .500 record than they had anticipated just last week.

The Knicks defense hasn’t just been worse, it hasn’t been anywhere close to the level it was at last season. It’s time for some adjustments.

New York Knicks: Quentin Grimes could see more minutes

Last night, rookie Quentin Grimes entered the game and played his first meaningful minutes of the regular season.

We saw Quentin Grimes’ skillset on display in both the Summer League and the preseason and we saw it again last night.

On the surface, it may not have looked like much. He played for 12 minutes and connected on two of his three 3-point attempts. Upon watching some game film, you see just how much of a disruptor he can be on defense.

Last night, The Cavaliers could not miss.

Ricky Rubio poured in a shooting performance from out of nowhere. The Knicks also gave up some open looks. Both were true.

This is a team that has been giving up a ridiculous amount of 3-pointers. Just under 15 a game to their opponents, which is the most in the NBA 

So while there have been some heroic performances from random opposing players, even if those players had not had the career games that they did, the Knicks defense would still not be happy with their performance thus far. 

I’ve written about this before, how Tom Thibodeau’s defense can mask individual talent on defense because it’s so reliant on team play. We don’t see guys like Derrick Rose and Alec Burks really pop on defense.

Quentin Grimes absolutely pops off the screen.

Long reach, strong lower body, great lateral quickness, and defensive stance — you can just see how bright Grimes’ future is in the NBA. He may be one of the best perimeter defenders on the Knicks right now.

This doesn’t need to be seen as a panic reaction, but rather, an adjustment. This happens over the course of the season.

New York needs a boost to their perimeter defense. Maybe this means slightly less Burks or Quickley for certain stretches.

Both Mitchell Robinson and Nerlens Noel are questionable for tonight’s game which could open the door for more Quentin Grimes as well.

As of right now, the Knicks don’t exactly have a defender who can be thrown on opposing guards. For as good as RJ Barrett has been, he excels when defending wings. Maybe Quentin Grimes can be that guy for them.

He could get another opportunity tonight against Philly.