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3 positives from Knicks’ dominating 101-69 summer league win over Bulls

ByJordanna Clark|
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 2: Quentin Grimes of New York Knicks warms up before the NBA match between Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, United States on April 2, 2022. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 2: Quentin Grimes of New York Knicks warms up before the NBA match between Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, United States on April 2, 2022. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

If you thought that it couldn’t get any better than the New York Knicks’ summer league win over the Golden State Warriors on Friday night, Sunday’s win was that times a million. New York put on a clinic from start to finish in the 101-69 win over the Chicago Bulls.

The Knicks started Deuce McBride, Quentin Grimes, Trevor Keels, Feron Hunt, and Jericho Sims for the second-consecutive game. And while Friday’s main takeaway was how Hunt exploded onto the scene for his second summer with the Knicks, Sunday was all about Grimes and Sims.

To be clear, there were numerous positives from New York’s win over Chicago, but here are the three that stood out the most.

3 positives from the Knicks’ 101-69 2022 NBA Summer League win over the Bulls

3: Defense

New York jumped out to a 13-0 run to start the game. Their shots were falling, yes, but their defense smothered the Bulls, who couldn’t buy a field goal for the first seven minutes of the game. The Knicks’ summer squad are the pesky defenders that other teams can’t stand to play because they’re relentless. It’s a lot of fun to watch.

With Tom Thibodeau in the stands, New York’s ferocity forced Chicago to turn the ball over 22 times. Dalen Terry, the Bulls. No. 18 draft pick, had 7 turnovers. Grimes and McBride (who had 3 steals) didn’t do Terry any favors.

Marko Simonovic, who had 27 points and 13 rebounds in Chicago’s first summer league win over Dallas, finished with 1 point and 7 rebounds. What was the difference, you ask? Sims. The Bulls had no answer for the big man on either end of the floor. That brings us to the next positive.

2: Jericho Sims is otherworldly

The Knicks signed Sims to a three-year, $6 million deal. What a steal. After posting a double-double against Golden State, he did the same against Chicago. He finished with 11 points (5-of-6), 10 rebounds, and 3 assists in 23 minutes.

The way that Sims does it all with ease is amazing. He spends the majority of his time in the air above the rim. The growth that he’s shown from this time last year is a testament to New York’s development of its youth.

Could he do that last year? No. Now he’s on the ‘Too Good for Summer League’ roster. And speaking of that, let’s talk about the Knicks’ leading scorer.

1: Quentin Grimes is an NBA starter

There shouldn’t be a single person out there who objects to Grimes starting for New York next season. After struggling from deep on Friday, the sophomore guard had a game-high 24 points (7-of-14 from the field, 4-of-9 from the 3-point line), 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in 23 minutes.

3 & D wings are invaluable in the NBA, and Grimes is that guy. He finds ways to be effective on the offensive end even if his 3-point shot isn’t falling (like on Friday) and he applies pressure on the defensive end.

Oh, and he finds ways to set his teammates up. This and-1 Grimes to Sims slam dunk is going to live in the minds of Knicks fans for a long while.

According to SNY’s Ian Begley, New York’s not fond of the idea of a Jalen Brunson-Evan Fournier backcourt. That opens up the idea of Grimes being slotted in at No. 2. Yes, please. It’s just summer league, but Grimes impressed in his rookie season and he’s going to have a breakout sophomore season. Mark my words.

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