Sometimes, Quentin Grimes has intrigued the Philadelphia 76ers as a valued reserve. Sometimes, Grimes has left the 76ers wanting more.
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“We’re going to get to a point where he’s really going to take off,” Sixers center Joel Embiid said of Grimes. “I think a lot of it his confidence. I know that he hasn’t been playing as well as he wishes. But I think there will be a point in time where he’s really going to take off.”
After all, Grimes has already taken off before after the Sixers acquired him from the Dallas Mavericks leading into last season’s trade deadline. He returned on a one-year, $8.7 million qualifying offer in hopes for both parties to assess his long-term fit.
Following stops with the New York Knicks (2021-2024), Detroit Pistons (2024), Dallas Mavericks (2024-25), and the Sixers (2025-present), the 25-year-old Grimes has averaged 12.7 points while shooting 43.9% from the field and 34.1% from 3-point range in 29.9 minutes per game. The Sixers hope Grimes can elevate his play while Paul George serves a 25-game suspension for violating the league’s anti-drug policy.
Grimes spoke to EssentiallySports about filling that role, Embiid’s recent dominance, and Tyrese Maxey becoming an All-Star starter. Grimes also explained how his experience leading up to the trade deadline differed from last year.
Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed.
What do you make of your season so far?
Grimes: “I’m going out there and just seeing different matchups all the time and being able to read the game. Over time, you’re able to get more reps and stuff like that. I was always about being ready. Preparation is always huge part of success. So I was preparing in the summer time and during the season. When I was in Dallas, I was trying to stay ready for whenever your number was called.”
How did that experience shape you for this opportunity?
Grimes: “I’m able adapt to any situation. It’s kind of like how this season is. It’s going to have ups and downs. You’re going to go on runs as a team. You’re going to go on spurts. So as a player and as a person, you’re just staying ready at all times. That has been big for me.”
Once the ruling was made on PG’s suspension, what have you done to try to mitigate that?
Grimes: “I’m staying ready. That was uncertain and unexpected. But that’s why I put in the work all summer and throughout the season. That way I would stay ready for more opportunities and more shots. That’s a tough position for the team. But you have to be ready when your name is called and step up.”
What have you all been doing to try to absorb his absence as best as you can?
Grimes: “It’s knowing that everybody can have more opportunity. It’s not just me. Whoever it may be, we try to come in with the right mindset and pick up a little bit more because he’s a great shooter and a great defender. So collectively as a team, we’re going to do little things for him while he’s out.”
You’ve gone through uncertainty with the trade deadlines in other seasons. You’re here, but how the lead up play out for you considering you have a no-trade clause?
Grimes: “I’m knowing that I’m not going anywhere without me signing off on. So that made it a little easier to go to bed at night and knowing that I’m not going to wake up and find out that I’m somewhere that I don’t want to be. That was a good thing about it, for sure. It eased my mind a little bit. I’m knowing that my agent can call me and relay a proposal from another team that I have to give an ‘okay’ toward, so it was a little bit of a win-win for me.”
How do you look back at how last year’s trade deadline played out for you?
Grimes: “Nobody expected me to go to Philly. Nobody expected Luka [Dončić] to go to LA. So that interesting. Then I come here and the whole team is hurt. So I had ample opportunity to do my thing and show that I can play. I took advantage of the opportunity.”
With this season, how did you all absorb the news with Jared McCain’s trade to OKC?
Grimes: “It was tough. He’s a great kid. We all got along with him great. He played with a lot of energy. He always stayed ready and was always focused. He worked extremely hard. So it was tough to see him go. But hopefully this is a good opportunity for him in OKC.”
How are you trying to build off of this for the second half of the season?
Grimes: “Just to win. Last year, we didn’t do a lot of winning once I got here. But in Dallas, we were winning there. So if we get back to winning, then everything will take care of itself in the long run.
What’s your outlook on your chances for winning ‘Sixth Man?’
Grimes: “We’ll see. I hope to stay on track with that, for sure. I just have to go out there and stay aggressive. Winning helps everything. The award doesn’t go to player on a team that’s not winning. If you win, everything else will take care of itself.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIr_tLEunBE
You’ve had some highlight reel dunks lately, including a baseline dunk against the Lakers and a poster over John Collins. How have you pulled those plays off?
Grimes: “I’m just seeing an open lane. I’m a pretty explosive athlete. So when I see that lane, I’m going to up there and try to dunk it as hard as I can. If somebody blocks it? Well, normally they don’t. So I always try to take advantage of it.”
What have you seen Joel do to overcome his early season injuries and have such a dominant stretch this past month?
Grimes: “He has that mental stability. To come back from what he had been through, you now see him have his joy back and having fun. He’s got his smile. He’s ready to go out there for the game so everyone can see how mentally tough he was after going through all of what he had last year and this year what he had to deal with coming out. But now he’s dominating again this year.”
With Tyrese becoming an All-Star starter, how have you seen him take his game to another level this season?
Grimes: “I think it’s his consistency. Every day, he comes in and is the same. He works extremely hard. He’s a little bit more of a leader this year and is talking. So he is taking that next step with being a leader of this team.”
What examples come to mind with him talking more?
Grimes: “It’s the little things he sees on the court. When the other team goes on a run, he tells us that we have to lock in. He says more stuff in the huddle. It’s little stuff like that that goes a long way.”
How have you seen the chemistry with Embiid and Tyrese grow?
Grimes: “It’s more reps. Game-by-game, they’re getting more comfortable. They have good chemistry going on with more reps and more games. They know where to get shots and where not to get shots. They know where each other is playing. More reps have really helped.”
What strides have you seen V.J. [Edgecombe] make as a rookie?
Grimes: “He’s playing well and playing with a lot of confidence. The coaches are giving him a lot of confidence to go out there. He’s been playing great.”
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for EssentiallySports. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.