‘I can fit’: Quentin Grimes’ diverse skillset can be just what the Sixers need

Daryl Morey wanted youth and dynamism. With Quentin Grimes, he got it.

Quentin Grimes is a Philadelphia 76er. It’s one of the more mundane new facts in the wake of the league-shifting 2025 NBA Trade Deadline. But, it’s still true, and an important one for a Sixers’ team looking to make the postseason after a dreadful start.

In exchange for Grimes and a 2025 second-rounder, Philadelphia sent Caleb Martin and a second-round draft pick to Nico Harrison’s Dallas Mavericks. Martin, a 29-year-old forward with a famed playoff run on his resume, started slow for the Sixers. Through his first 20 games with the team, his hitched jumpshot looked broken as he shot just 29% from deep. He still provided fighting defense and veteran savvy here and there but was mostly disappointing due to his inefficient deep ball.

But, that changed. In what would turn out to be his final 10 games with the team, he shot 50% from deep. His improvement was most apparent in a 23-point performance in the team’s best win of the season against the Boston Celtics on Christmas day, where he shot 7 of 9 from three. It was the Celtics Killer at his best.

With Martin being capable of such performances, it’s hard to see him go. But in Grimes, the Sixers have a younger, more consistently efficient shooter, and they filled their need for a guard perimeter stopper.

Grimes makes the most out of his limited offensive opportunities. Per Cleaning the Glass, which filters out garbage time stats, Grimes’ 1.23 points per shot attempt (PSA) put him in the 90th percentile of the NBA (i.e. a higher mark than 90% of the league). Martin’s 1.07 PSA put him in the 33rd percentile.

Grimes is also in the 88th percentile of effective field goal percentage (his is 58.5%), the 82nd percentile of three-point percentage (40.5%), and the 78th percentile in corner threes (40.5%). These numbers would’ve been salivating to the early-season Sixers, who were one of the league’s worst (and weirdest) three-point shooting teams. They’re still not great, but they’re not horrible. That being said, you can never have too many efficient shooters.

In his first availability, Grimes’ mindset backed up his numbers.

“I feel like I can fit in pretty well,” he told reporters in Detroit. “I can be a 3-and-D spacer, make plays off the dribble. I can try to take the pressure off of Joel when he gets doubled and everything. I can knock down shots, and come in and try to help this team make plays and win games.”

An interesting aspect of Grimes’ off-ball game I have to point out is his love for the left side of the floor. He far prefers to shoot threes from that side. It’s as if he wore a shock collar that would tase him any time he launched from the right side of the court

CleaningTheGlass.com

It fits quite well with the Sixers’ other shooters. Other than Justin Edwards, who shoots from everywhere, Kelly Oubre Jr., Eric Gordon, Paul George, and Guerschon Yabusele all prefer to shoot from the right side of the floor (as did Martin). Comparing the shot charts, there is an opening in the left corner for Grimes to heave from. Tyrese Maxey also prefers to drive to the right side of the rim, so having someone to space out on the left side and attack where the help comes from will be useful.

With the Big 3 finally all healthy again (hopefully for good), Grimes will make most of his value from finishing plays. But more than any other Sixers wing not named Paul George, Grimes can create for himself and others.

It’s a skillset he got to show off as injuries ravaged Dallas’ stars.

“I feel like this whole year in Dallas, I showed I’m capable of playing on the ball, off the ball, making a lot of plays with my teammates out,” he told reporters. “Luka out or Kyrie out, I can step in and fill that role. I feel like I can do that here, just playing with the ball in my hands — making plays for Joel and PG, getting guys involved, or getting myself involved off the dribble.”

He’s shooting above 41% on pull-up threes this season. He can maneuver around screens and get in his dribble bag to create space. He is awesome at recognizing where the space is for himself in these situations and quickly moving into it to generate a relatively open three. He’ll reject a screen, then reinitiate it before shifting into space and quickly rising to shoot.

His ability to identify holes in the defense make him an opportune driver. He’s quick and strong. When he decides to drive, he’ll likely beat the defender to the rim, but can also overpower weaker defenders that keep up with him. This is true when attacking closeouts and when in a pick-and-roll.

In the first clip below, he sees that Cleveland’s Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are outside of the paint, so he hits his defender with a crossover and heads straight to the rim, finishing a layup before the help can make it. In the second, he goes straight through the smaller Darius Garland and then stays strong for the and-1 finish through Allen.

His finishing isn’t amazing. He tends to hesitate in traffic or just gets swallowed by rim protectors. But he can offset size deficiencies with his creativity, utilizing spin moves and even some #jellyfam finishes when necessary.

I’ve enjoyed his playmaking off drives too. Not only because he often makes the right pass, but also because he isn’t afraid to add a bit of theater to his dishes. He’s great at getting into the paint and occupying the defense before dropping a pass off to his big for an easy layup. He uses head fakes to send off-ball defenders to empty-handed offensive players, which creates wide-open shots for the recipients of his passes.

His flair for dramatic passes comes with an increased likelihood of turnovers. His 1.66 assist-to-turnover ratio leaves a little to be desired. You’d like to see him cut out some of the more tight passes he tries to squeeze through. But, for the most part, he’s a positive playmaker and will contribute to the Sixers’ recent uptick in passing and ball movement.

With Tyrese Maxey, Paul George and Joel Embiid healthy, Grimes’ opportunities to create should be rare. As Sixers’ GM Daryl Morey mentioned in his post-trade deadline press conference, Grimes is here to get stops.

“Quentin Grimes was a key addition,” he said. “We love his fit with Tyrese.. his ability to be the primary defender of guards on the perimeter. One of the general things we wanted to do at this deadline was get younger, get more dynamic.”

Through his four seasons, Grimes has rightfully grown a reputation as a tough, pesky, and dynamic defender. Although advanced metrics paint Grimes as a negative defender this season, his career film says differently. During his stint with the New York Knicks, he led the league in matchup difficulty and was near the top of the league in defensive versatility (success in guarding different positions).

He never gives up on a possession and is valiant in fighting through screens. He’s got quick feet to stay in front of sly guards and is strong enough to withstand bumps and shoulders from bigger wings. Against the league-best Oklahoma City Thunder, Grimes was tasked with guarding Shai Gilegeous-Alexander and Jaylen Williams, the Thunder’s best two offensive players. The former is an MVP caliber guard who gets by defenders with slick, decisive and quick moves, while the latter is a bruising wing who bullies his defender to a spot before rising over them or simply going by them. Grimes looked great against both.

Off the ball, Grimes is extremely active and very aggressive with his close outs on threes. When put in a position where he has to guard two off-ball, or creep in to help on an opposition drive, he doesn’t compromise the team by helping too much one way. Instead, he stays within distance and fiercely pounces to the perimeter when the ball reaches his matchup.

To start, Grimes may not produce as well as Martin did in his final Sixers’ stretch. But he can grow with Maxey. It’s a pickup that slightly prolongs this team’s contender-hopeful window, and can keep them competitive if Morey decides to blow up the Big 3.