Quentin Grimes thankful for New York Knicks amid reunion

Despite their union ending on less than desirable terms, Quentin Grimes is thankful for the New York Knicks, namely his time spent under head coach Tom Thibodeau.

Grimes faced the Knicks for the second time Wednesday night, representing the Dallas Mavericks in an interconference tilt at the American Airlines Center. Granted a start on his initial NBA employer visit, Grimes confirmed the metroplex’s faith with a season-best 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting in a 129-114 victory for the shorthanded Mavericks.

Grimes’ performance in an ensemble effort caught the attention of former fellow Knick Jason Kidd, now his head coach at North Texas. Kidd placed Grimes in the starting five despite missing Monday’s win in Atlanta with an illness.

“I thought he was great on the ball defensively and offensively, he was really, really good,” praised Kidd. according to Eddie Sefko of the Mavs’ official site. “As a starter, he’s been really, really good, so it gives us the flexibility that with injuries or illness, we can put him in the starting lineup and continue to push forward.”

Grimes was one of the stars of Dallas’ dominant defensive effort on a night when Luka Doncic, Daniel Gafford and Klay Thompson were forced to sit because of various ailments. New York (10-8) was held to season-lows in scoring in both a single period (15) and half (38), both tallies coming in their respective firsts. The forced futility came less than 48 hours after the Knicks completed a historic sweep in Denver.

While Kidd felt Grimes carried “a little more juice” thanks to the Knicks’ visit on Wednesday, the 2021 first-round pick kept things amicable in his own postgame remarks, thanking Thibodeau for preparing him for high-profile offensive assignments.

“Credit to Thibs. When I was in New York, he gave me a lot of the tough assignments early in my career. I feel like I was able to get a good understanding of how to protect All-Stars, superstars, Grimes said (h/t New York Basketball at X). “That’s kind of what keeps me going. I feel like if you don’t do anything offensively, defensively, it gets you going … on the defensive end, I can get my energy going and get that as well to go on the offensive.”

Grimes also tallied one steal and seven rebounds, tying with OG Anunoby and Naji Marshall for three of the offensive variety that led all participants.

Wednesday was perhaps a bittersweet return to Grimes’ finest hours as a Knick: In New York history, Grimes may be best known for his defensive work on Donovan Mitchell during the Knicks’ five-game victory over Cleveland in the opening round of the 2023 playoffs. Grimes previously stood as the Knicks’ starting shooting guard, but was usurped by Donte DiVincenzo before being traded to Detroit at last season’s trade deadline. He was shipped to Dallas in July in a deal that ironically included another former Knick in Tim Hardaway Jr.

Grimes will return to Madison Square Garden with the Mavericks in March. Meanwhile, the Knicks face the Charlotte Hornets in a Black Friday matinee (12 p.m. ET, MSG).

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