As the days pass and the 2023-24 season draws closer, previews of what’s to come will dominate NBA news. Will the New York Knicks finish in the top five of the East again? Will Jalen Brunson be named an All-Star? For all of the questions, there will soon be answers.
Of course, the biggest question is whether or not this will be the year the Knicks trade for a star. Maybe another collapse in Philadelphia will be enough for Joel Embiid to ask out, or even better, Giannis Antetokounmpo could put himself on the market if the direction Milwaukee is headed in isn’t up to his standards.
Without going down the hole of predicting which star will play for New York, The Athletic did a season preview for the Atlantic Division (subscription required). Three writers answered questions about the Knicks, Celtics, Sixers, Nets, and Raptors.
While most of the preview was dominated by talk of Boston acquiring Kristaps Porzingis in a trade and losing Marcus Smart and Grant Williams, Celtics writer Jared Weiss did give one young Knicks guard a shoutout.
Celtics beat writer predicts Knicks’ Quentin Grimes will have breakout season
When asked which player in the division is most likely to have a breakout 2023-24 season, Weiss answered:
"This year is gonna be Grime time at MSG. Immanuel Quickley made the national leap last year, but Quentin Grimes has the potential to make that same ascension as he gets better attacking the rim and making decisions off the catch. He’s a good spot-up shooter who can drive open space to throw it down and finish solidly in transition; plus, he gets buckets on a nightly basis from cutting backdoor and crashing the offensive glass. He knows how to work the floor and find a role in the offense, but there’s more creativity to unlock in his game and he should take another step forward this year."
“Grime time at MSG” could catch on with the Knicks fanbase, especially if the 23-year-old makes the leap many think he will.
After dealing with a foot injury at the beginning of the season, Quentin Grimes replaced Evan Fournier in the starting lineup. In the 66 games he started, Grimes averaged 11.9 points, shooting 40.5% from deep. In today’s NBA, 3-and-D wings are ever so valuable, and Grimes can defend a team’s best player on one end and score or find an open teammate on the other.
Grimes has worked out with former NBA players in the offseason, such as Penny Hardaway and JJ Redick. The latter said on his podcast that Grimes reached out to him and that the two spent a couple of days together in the Hamptons, presumably working on his midrange shot.
Along with gaining that experience, Grimes was part of the U.S. Select Team that scrimmaged about the World Cup team in Las Vegas. He’s had quite the summer.
As Weiss noted, Immanuel Quickley made a massive leap in his third year in the league, and 2023-24 will be Grimes’ third season. The third time’s a charm, right?