In an otherwise disappointing season, Quentin Grimes is providing the Philadelphia 76ers a glimmer of hope. The 24-year-old guard has become a key contributor since joining the Sixers at the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
Grimes has suited up for Philadelphia on 25 occasions this season. He’s averaging 22.3 points, 4.4 assists and 4.8 rebounds. He’s shooting 39.5% from 3-point range and 49% from the field.
During a recent news conference, Sixers guard Lonnie Walker IV shared his thoughts on Grimes’s hot start to life with Nick Nurse’s team.
Sixers guard Quentin Grimes
“His consistency, his ability to score and his professionalism,” Walker IV said. “I think he’s doing a lot of things, both on and off the court, that show he’s a professional. He’s treating the game like a pro. He’s approaching the game like a pro. I think his work ethic and his scalability is starting to show on the court more consistently.”
Grimes will hit restricted free agency this summer. The Sixers will likely do whatever they can to retain him. As such, unless Grimes is provided with an outlandish contract offer, it’s fair to expect Philadelphia to match any offer sheet Grimes signs.
Sixers guard Quentin Grimes
Walker, on the other hand, may be forced to navigate free agency for the second time in two years. He has impressed with the Sixers, but Grimes’ emergence likely hinders his chances of earning a deal.
Guerschon Yabusele Also Praises Grimes
Guerschon Yabusele also had some high praise for Grimes following the Sixers’ loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday, April 5.
“He’s really fearless,” Yabusele said. “He’s really giving it out there, he played 100%. Hits tough shots, his ability to create his of Grimes own shot, and be able to score when it’s really contested has been amazing. When you look at tonight (Saturday), he got two or three 3s that got us back in the game, it was just amazing. When he’s in that zone, you feel like there’s nothing you can really do.”
Sixers guard Quentin Grimes
Yabusele has enjoyed a strong season himself. However, like Walker IV, his future is likely away from the Sixers. Nevertheless, the fact that two players have now praised Grimes’s impact shows how important he’s become for Philadelphia and its chances of success.
Sixers Hope to Retain Grimes
According to a March 31 report from Marc Stein, the Sixers will head into the offseason with the desire to keep Grimes around long-term.
“League sources say that Quentin Grimes’ camp did not explicitly request a trade out of Dallas, despite suggestions to the contrary… The fourth-year guard appears to have given his forthcoming foray into a restricted free agency quite a boost regardless with his scoring as a Sixer,” Stein reported. “The Sixers, I’m told, do hope to re-sign Grimes, whose precise market is difficult to forecast (as it always is for RFAs).”