The New York Knicks picked up arguably their best win on Friday. In the second half of a back-to-back, the Knicks beat the Raptors, 119-106, in an arena that hasn't always been kind to them.
Josh Hart scored 15 straight points in the third quarter and finished with 17. Donte DiVincenzo shot 7-of-9 from three for 21 points. That Villanova duo was the highlight of the game, and deservedly so. However, something else happened on Friday that hasn't happened in a long time -- Quentin Grimes hit not just one free throw but two.
You might be wondering what's so special about that. That's fair. Grimes has been struggling offensively, but even so, it's bizarre to think he hadn't hit a free throw all season until New York traveled to Toronto.
It's official. Quentin Grimes has made his first free throw of the season.
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) December 2, 2023
Before the game against the Raptors, Grimes had attempted only one free throw, and it came on opening night. He went from shooting zero percent from the charity stripe to 66% in a single night.
Quentin Grimes hits first free throws of season in Knicks' win over Raptors
As Fred Katz of The Athletic noted (subscription required), Quentin Grimes was the only player in the league "who has played this much" and hadn't attempted more than one free throw. It took him 17 games to do so.
Grimes is shooting 36.4% from the field (down from 46.8% last season) and 35.8% from three (down from 38.6% last season). At the beginning of 2022-23, fans called for Grimes to start in place of Evan Fournier, which eventually happened. Now, fans want to see him moved back to the bench and replaced with Donte DiVincenzo or Immanuel Quickley.
Grimes hasn't been as aggressive on offense, hence why he's made only two trips to the line this season. The more he sees the ball go through the hoop, the better, even if it comes from free throws.
He isn't going to turn back into a double-digit scorer overnight (he's averaging 6.3 points per game). Fans aren't waiting to see him hit free throws, but if Grimes is drawing fouls, it means he's becoming more involved in the offense. That's something every fan should want.