It was about one year ago that New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau made a change to the rotation which turned his team into one of the best in the NBA. After an embarrassing loss to the Dallas Mavericks on December 3rd, Thibodeau removed Derrick Rose, Evan Fournier and Cam Reddish from the team’s rotation.
In their place, he turned to Duece McBride off the bench and Quentin Grimes was solidifying his standing as the starting shooting guard. Grimes has remained in that spot ever since, but another change could be on the horizon based on recent comments he made.
On Tuesday night, the Knicks were destroyed by the Milwaukee Bucks, 146-122. The loss eliminated New York from the NBA In-Season Tournament, and after the game, Grimes did not shy away from voicing some frustrations.
He is not thrilled with the role that he is playing on offense, as he often times just stands in the corner. A shot was taken at Thibodeau for his rotations, as Grimes feels a ton of pressure believing that if he misses a shot, he will be subbed out.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Quentin Grimes, Tom Thibodeau, New York Knicks Updates
“Every shot I shoot feels like it probably weighs 100 pounds,” Grimes said after the game.
Grimes is going through a rough patch. He was making some headlines for his lack of aggressiveness, as he made his first free throws of the season against the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.
His impact has been minimal, from an offensive standpoint, as his shooting numbers have dropped considerably this season. Grimes is making only 34.5 percent of his 3-point attempts, much lower than his 37.9 career percentage. His overall shooting percentage of 35.9 this season is also well below his career norm of 44 percent.
The role that Grimes plays in the Knicks offense is certainly not an easy one. Finding a rhythm when you are, at best, the fourth option in the offense is very difficult. It was one of the frustrations that he voiced after the loss to the Bucks.
Thibodeau and the coaching staff have to figure out a way to get Grimes’ confidence back up on the offensive side of the ball. Despite his struggles shooting, he is still an integral part of the game plan for the defensive prowess that he provides.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Quentin Grimes, Tom Thibodeau, New York Knicks Updates
For example, last night against the Bucks, Grimes played excellent defense against Damian Lillard. When he was the main defender, the All-NBA point guard shot 1-of-5 with two turnovers. When matched up against anyone else, Lillard went off, making 7-of-8 from the field with only one turnover.
The Knicks have excellent depth at shooting guard, where Immanuel Quickley, Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart are all capable of playing minutes. RJ Barrett also plays there sometimes with the second unit, which is a positionless group outside of center Isaiah Hartenstein.
While Thibodeau has said that a change to the starting lineup isn’t coming, tweaking the rotation a little could help Grimes get into rhythm more. Getting him on the floor when he could be higher in the pecking order offensively would be a good way to help him get his confidence back.
Adjusting substitution patterns and things of that nature isn’t something that comes easily with Thibodeau as head coach, but something needs to change for the Knicks sooner rather than later. Grimes is too important defensively to remove from the rotation, but his lack of offensive production is rendering his impact on the other end of the court nearly moot.
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