The Philadelphia 76ers made their 2025 preseason debut on Thursday, Oct. 2 in a game that quickly revealed how important Quentin Grimes is to the rotation. Only so much can be discerned from the preseason, particularly when stars Joel Embiid and Paul George weren't even active.
With a 3-of-35 performance from beyond the arc, however, the 76ers instantly remembered how badly they would've struggle to generate consistent perimeter offense without Grimes in the rotation
Tyrese Maxey is an All-Star who can score and create at star-caliber levels, but the loss to the Knicks was a reminder that he can only do so much without adequate support from the wings. Jared McCain should help once he returns from thumb surgery, but he's an undersized 2 at 6'3" who may not be the ideal backcourt complement for Maxey.
V.J. Edgecombe could potentially resolve that issue, but as a first-year player, expectations are understandably tepid in terms of nightly offensive contributions.
George will certainly help when healthy, but the issue remains that the 76ers need scoring depth along the wings. That's particularly true in regard to three-point shooting and shot creation, which few on the roster can help provide.
Thankfully, Grimes has signed on for the 2025-26 season and could prove to be a monumentally influential player on the offensive end of the floor.
76ers desperately need Quentin Grimes' shooting, shot creation
Grimes made an instant impact on the 76ers in 2024-25, averaging 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 2.9 three-point field goals made per game while appearing in 28 of a possible 34 games. He did so while maintaining sustainable efficiency at a clip of .469/.373/.752.
For perspective on how likely it is that Grimes could continue to shoot at the level he managed in 2024-25, he boasts a career slash line of .444/.375/.763.
Outside of a slight uptick in field goal percentage, everything Grimes did for Philadelphia was within the realm of what he's previously proven capable of. The only true difference between what he managed in 2024-25 and what he'd done in previous seasons was the increase in volume as far as shots and touches were concerned.
Grimes averaged 7.9 more field goal attempts per game in Philadelphia than he had at any of his previous stops, and posted a usage rate that was 8.1 percent higher than his previous best.
Furthermore, Grimes has shot at least 39.4 percent on catch-and-shoot threes in three of his four NBA seasons. That establishes a consistent line of efficiency. He also shot 52.5 percent on 10.0 drives per game with the 76ers and buried 36.8 percent of his pull-up threes in 2024-25.
With the ability to create for himself and play away from the ball, Grimes' offensie value is unavoidable—and the 76ers simply wouldn't have had all that many other options to mask his absence.
It's clearly fair to believe that Grimes will attempt fewer shots in 2025-26 than he did in 2024-25. Philadelphia will ideally have all of Embiid, George, Maxey, and McCain at some point this season, and Edgecombe will get his share of touches, as well.
With on and off-ball value, however, Grimes is a player the 76ers still desperately need and would've struggled mightily to replace.