Where do Quentin Grimes and Jericho Sims fit into the Knicks’ future?

The New York Knicks have performed well in the Summer League this year with a 3-1 record. The Summer League is always one of my favorite parts of the always exciting NBA offseason because it is a premier stage for aspiring players to show everything they have.

In the case of the Knicks, the team entered with arguably the strongest roster in the tournament. New York is led by current pros Quentin Grimes and Jericho Sims, with contributions from strong hopefuls such as Miles McBride, Trevor Keels, and Jean Montero.

Despite not having a prolific young name such as Paolo Banchero or Chet Holmgren, the Knicks’ summer unit is one that excites every night, as they have proven that they are a tough matchup.

Regardless of the end results for the team as a whole, New York has two clear standouts in Grimes and Sims, who are making strong cases for everyday rotation spots in the summer show.

With the Knicks making a lot of roster changes throughout the summer already, with more expected to come at some point, many question what role these summer stars will earn on the 2022-23 roster.

Quentin Grimes has made a case to start at shooting guard

Quentin Grimes is arguably my favorite Knicks prospect, which says a lot because the team holds so much talent. Grimes is just a really good player in every aspect of the game. He is not the most flashy player on the floor, but he just does a little bit of everything well.

Grimes is a really good 3-point shooter, posing to be a threat by making roughly 40% of his attempts from beyond the arc last season. He contributes as a playmaker, and although he only averaged about an assist per game in the regular season (a small sample size), he is generating 4.3 assists per game in his first four Summer League appearances.

A major gripe between the fans and Evan Fournier is that Fournier, although being a dominant 3-point shooter on great nights, offers the team very little on the defensive end. Fournier is currently New York’s third highest player with Jalen Brunson putting the pen to paper, and many feel the Knicks could be spending that money better.

Grimes has no problem on the defensive end, having a strong athletic family background, making him a weapon in the attack-filled Tom Thibodeau unit. Despite a bad knee injury last season that had many fans biting their lips, it hasn’t seemed to hold him back at all this summer.

Grimes is averaging a team-high 23.5 points per game right now in Las Vegas, and he is clearly over qualified to even be there at all.

And as he’s set to enter his second year in the league, there’s a chance that he could be playing for the Utah Jazz. With Donovan Mitchell being made available in trade talks, New York’s been engaging in discussions with Utah. According to The Athletic (subscription required), Grimes is “believed to be of interest” to the Jazz.

But if a trade for Mitchell ends up not being in the cards for the Knicks this summer, Grimes is expected to play a large role in New York next season.

How Grimes fits into the Knicks’ rotation next year

New York is taking this rebuilding process slow and steady, creating an infrastructure of young players and draft picks while adding key starters like Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle where they need to.

A team I look to as a successful representation of what the Knicks are building is the Memphis Grizzlies. On many levels, the two franchises run parallel in their creation; a creation that saw Memphis be one of the association’s best teams last year, finishing 56-26 and second in their conference.

Memphis is spearheaded by a superstar in Ja Morant, with supplemental play from a slew of young talent and veteran additions. New York is very similar in this way.

The Knicks’ “Ja Morant” element is RJ Barrett, who the franchise expects to take the leap to first option next season. The “Jaren Jackson Jr.” role is filled by Mitchell Robinson, who is the team’s defensive anchor. The “Dillon Brooks” position is filled by Randle and Obi Toppin, who are both athletic offensive threats.

This leaves the “Desmond Bane” role to be filled and Grimes fits this spot poetically. Bane is a 3-and-D specialist who is an athletic attacker from the wing when needed. He averaged 18.2 points and shot an impressive 43.6% from three last season. He was an essential part of the Grizzlies’ successful campaign.

This is the position Grimes can fill on the Knicks. He has proven to be everything Bane is in his small sample size of play last year (as far as play styles are concerned) and with more confidence and consistent minutes this upcoming year, he could truly make a case to be an everyday starter if he even shadows the success Bane had last year statistically.

If Grimes could carve this role for himself in New York, with additional play from Brunson, Barrett, and others, the Knicks would pose a strong threat to any NBA defense on any given night.

Jericho Sims could be the future center in New York

There have been several developments at the center position this offseason in New York. The franchise brought back starter Mitchell Robinson with a four year extension, added a budding young talent in Isaiah Hartenstein, and parted ways with veteran presence Taj Gibson.

All of these variables will greatly impact the future of sophomore phenomenon Jericho Sims, who recently earned himself his own contract extension as well after being converted from the two-way spot.

Sims is a great question mark for the Knicks right now. He made his way onto the scene following some injuries suffered by Robinson last season and he showcased world class athleticism and size, despite still being a raw NBA talent.

In Summer League, he has been a human highlight reel, out-sizing just about everyone on the court and demanding respect in the paint.

The first rule of Summer League is to not overembellish Summer League. Sims spent last season on an NBA roster and he had an opportunity to play some valuable minutes. Still, Sims showed confidence in his ability to body up other players, be aggressive on the boards, and even saw opportunities to run more in transition.

Sims also showed an ability to be mobile and versatile on defense, stopping fast breaks and closing out on shooters, as well as being a sky rising shot blocker and rim protector.

Regardless of his role, his contract is a steal in value for a player with his ceiling. He fits the same mold as Robinson, but may actually have the physique to withstand the greater length of an NBA season.

What role Jericho Sims can have in 2022-23 and beyond for the Knicks

Sims’ path to consistent playing time will not be one that is met without adversity, but his opportunity will come. Robinson has a history of injuries, and while playing a record 72 games last season, he missed over half the year in 2020-21. Hartenstein does complicate things further, but his play style varies from Sims’ quite a bit.

New York will most likely use Hartenstein as a polar opposite player to create different spacing options on the floor, whereas Sims and Robinson both control the paint.

Sims makes an impact with his size and athleticism and he will demand minutes when Robinson faces tough outings or injury problems.

With Robinson under contract, he will maintain a majority of the minutes as the season begins. Whether the Knicks are sold on him as their future or not is hearsay; they were never going to let him go for nothing in return.

New York managed to get decent value on his deal. When you look at how he can impact a game on any given night, it will only increase in value as the salary cap rises.

For now, Sims will work out of the third rotation spot and fight for opportunity. As time goes on, though, and he continues to grow, the Knicks may see more value in having him and Hartenstein together while allocating money elsewhere, like the looming RJ Barrett extension.

Sims will complement Robinson night in and night out and offer the Knicks significant depth at a needy position, as leaning heavily on Taj Gibson in the 2021 playoffs was a major result of New York’s failure in the series.

If he continues to show promise, the Knicks will have a great trade piece in Robinson and an heir apparent in Jericho Sims. Look for Sims to groom his NBA game this season and demand more minutes as the snow begins to fall this winter.

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