Quentin Grimes understood why Knicks head trainer Tom Thibodeau pronounced Evan Fournier because the crew’s most likely starter at capturing guard originally of coaching camp. But Grimes, the 2021 first-round draft select, nonetheless was hoping he would have sufficient time to modify the trainer’s thoughts.
So some distance, Grimes has been slowed right through camp via a foot damage. He overlooked the primary two preseason video games, and he believes that most likely has value him any likelihood to win the beginning job, no less than when the common season opens Oct. 19 at Memphis.
“I think I knew that coming in, because Evan, he earned it, really. It’s his 11th year. … Thibs said you have to come in and earn it,” Grimes stated after collaborating absolutely in observe Monday in Tarrytown. “That’s what I roughly anticipated getting into coaching camp, however then I roughly were given harm, so it roughly derailed that.
“But I felt like [Fournier] earned it. He was the guy that had it coming in. And I had to prove myself. I didn’t get the opportunity to do that.”
The 22-year-old Grimes additionally made some extent to notice that Fournier “has been my guy since Day 1.” He added that Fournier and departed former All-Star Kemba Walker had been “my vets” all the way through his rookie marketing campaign, offering recommendation on and stale the courtroom.
“It would’ve been a great competition because me and Evan, he’s a great competitor,” Grimes stated. “I wanna go out there and compete. So, I feel it would’ve been really good to just battle for that spot, but he’s been helping me every day, for sure.”
The 6-foot-5 Grimes stated he “hopefully” will play in no less than some of the Knicks’ ultimate two preseason video games — Wednesday at Indiana and Friday in opposition to the Wizards on the Garden. He believes the foot soreness got here from “probably just wear and tear from pounding it the whole summer.”
“I want to see where he is [Tuesday]. I’ll wait [for] the trainers. He’s followed a plan that they laid out, and it seems to be working pretty well,” Thibodeau stated, including that he believes that Grimes’ conditioning isn’t a subject. “No, no one’s close to putting in the amount of work that he puts in. He’s in phenomenal shape.”
Grimes, the Twenty fifth-overall select within the 2021 draft out of Houston, averaged 6.0 issues and 17.4 mins whilst capturing 38.1 p.c from 3-point vary over 46 appearances as a rookie. Thibodeau persistently lauded Grimes’ perimeter protection, one thing the second-year participant believes helped him earn the consider of the Knicks’ training team of workers.
“Thibs … gets on everybody. But yeah, I feel like once you kind of earned his trust and he believes in you, and you believe in the way that he’s preaching to us every day, I feel like that goes a long way with him in the long run,” Grimes stated. “Just me coming in, he’s a defensive-minded head coach, and I take pride in defense, we can come together [on that].”
Grimes added that he didn’t pay a lot consideration to rumors that had Donovan Mitchell and others coming to the Knicks over the summer season. He was once made mindful, then again, of news that the Knicks attempted to exclude him from any possible gives for Mitchell, a three-time All-Star. Mitchell ended up being dealt from the Jazz to the Cavaliers in early September.
“I’m big on loyalty, so I feel like it kind of showed how invested they were just seeing me every day, just working and working,” stated Grimes, who labored out for a couple of weeks this summer season with University of Memphis trainer and previous NBA All-Star Penny Hardaway. “Even when my identify was once within the industry rumors final yr on the industry time limit, they referred to as me and had been like, ‘Thibs love you, blah, blah, blah. We love your work ethic.’
“So just having that trust and that belief in you goes a long way with your confidence, when you go out there on the court and know they believe in you and they’re putting everything into you and they’re not worried about maybe just somebody coming in for an instant, instant success. … I feel like that goes a long way with how I see things in the future with the Knicks and everybody, really.”