How Knicks can help Quentin Grimes bounce back from early-season struggles

After the Bucks eliminated the Knicks from the In-Season Tournament on Tuesday night, third-year man Quentin Grimes voiced his displeasure with his role this season.

“It feels like if I don’t hit the shot, I’m coming out,” Grimes said. “So every shot I shoot probably weighs like 100 pounds if I don’t make it, and our defense, it ain’t cutting it, so I know I ain’t going back in.”

It’s not an original story for a young player on a competitive roster to feel a bit disgruntled, especially with the dry spell Grimes is in. He’s scored 16 points on 18 percent shooting over his last seven games, taking 5.7 shots in 22.9 minutes on the year compared to 8.5 in 29.9 last season.

It’s clear Grimes isn’t in the same place mentally, an unfortunate turn of events given how prized of a prospect he is to the Knicks and the big playoff moment he had last spring, stripping Jimmy Butler of the ball on a bum knee to steal Game 5 in the second round. It’s easy to sympathize given the effort he puts in defensively and his otherwise positive, team-first attitude.

But what’s odd is from the eye test, not much has changed year-over-year for Grimes. He’s playing in the same lineups with similar substitution patterns and being asked to do the same things as last season, so what’s gone awry?

Grimes' comments suggest the ball isn’t coming to him as much, but statistically that doesn’t hold up.

He’s getting 0.82 front court touches per minute this season, which is up from last year’s 0.76 mark, and per-36 minutes he’s attempting more threes than last year.

When he does get the ball, he looks more indecisive, either passing up jumpers he’d normally take or driving nowhere and resetting the offense. Last season, he happily fired over defenders and made much more happen off the dribble.

This could come from a fear of getting yanked out of the game, which he specifically cited. His minutes are down from last year, and he’s been held out of closing lineups, but the biggest gaps come from earlier substitutions in the first and third quarters.

One factor is New York boasting a deeper wing rotation than most of Grimes’ sophomore campaign. RJ Barrett has improved, Josh Hart joined the team this past February, and Donte DiVincenzo has been a home run acquisition.

However, are Grimes' minutes down because of his play or is he struggling because of the limited minutes? It’s a chicken and egg situation, but has some potential solutions.

Head coach Tom Thibodeau should assure Grimes of his place in the rotation, emphasizing that he has the trust of the team and should play his game freely. Easing the pressure off him could help turn things around.

Aside from that motivating step, running an Evan Fournier set or two for him to get an easy look wouldn’t hurt. The issue is, we’ve seen the Knicks do that at times only for one of their stars to break the play at the first scoring opportunity they see.

It’s also possible this is more physical than mental than Grimes and others are letting on. He shot 40 percent from three playing 24 minutes a night in 11 games this season before going down with a wrist injury, and has been 4-for-21 from deep in 20 minutes per since.

He’s likely still recovering from that, and his frustration could be stemming from the lack of volume he needs to right his jumper.

Would a move to the bench help or merely exacerbate the issue? He could see it as a demotion, which further shakes his confidence, or as an opportunity to get more looks with fewer stars alongside him.

Thibs is likely holding that move in his back pocket, giving Grimes some room to correct himself. The Knicks haven’t taken a big hit yet due to his lack of production, but if they do there will be a big decision to make.

Grimes spent his rookie season clawing for minutes and year two as the savior of the starting lineup, so this is his first taste of falling short of NBA expectations. If he’s anything close to what the Knicks think he is, he’ll bounce back.