Re-drafting the 2021 NBA Draft — 26. Quentin Grimes, Nuggets
The Knicks never play the young guys enough (again, it call comes back to Thibs), but Quentin Grimes was impressive in his brief stints on the court for New York. I’ve mentioned the importance and universality of 3-and-D players throughout this re-draft. Grimes proved he can bury 3s at a healthy clip and he played passable defense. That should allow him to stick around the league.
Denver’s depth was just demolished by injuries this season. It’s hard to fully gauge what the team needs without Jamal Murray or Michael Porter Jr. on the floor. That said, another guard/wing combo who can defend a couple positions and spot-up off of Nikola Jokic would be a strong investment.
Grimes has the potential to be the kind of offensive spark plug who can change the chemistry of a game off the bench. He’s in the microwave scoring vein occupied by Bones Hyland, who was Denver’s original pick. Grimes isn’t quite as good but he’s a solid consolation prize in this exercise.