It’s been 17 days since the Philadelphia 76ers’ star trio of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George have shared the floor due to injuries that have taken all three of them out one at a time. Since then, someone on the 76ers would have to fill the void that three once all-star caliber players held, and that someone is Quentin Grimes.
In his last six games, Grimes has averaged 25.7 points on 54% shooting from the field and 41% accuracy from beyond the arc, with 5.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and two steals. The 24-year-old wing leads Philadelphia in scoring during this span and has shown no signs of letting up in its final 18 games in the regular season.
As 76ers insider Sean Barnard recently pointed out, Quentin Grimes has now recorded more 30-point games than Paul George for the Sixers this season.
While Grimes’ ascension has been incredible, it’s fairly easy to carry the scoring load when a team is down three of its best players. Boldly assuming the 76ers enter next season with a clean bill of health, the question is now what will his role be moving forward?
Quentin Grimes enters free agency this summer
Before I attempt to answer that question, it’s important to note that Grimes is currently in the final season of his four-year/$11.1 million contract, which places him in restricted free agency in the upcoming offseason.
This means that the 76ers will be able to match any offer that an opposing team could give him, especially since they inherited his bird rights from the Dallas Mavericks. With his bird rights, Philadelphia will be able to retain Grimes on any amount as high as a maximum contract.
What will Quentin Grimes' role be next season?
For the sake of this article, let’s assume that the 76ers successfully re-signed Grimes this summer. With the retention of Grimes, Philadelphia would have a talented, youthful guard room between him, Maxey, Jared McCain, Ricky Council IV, and Jared Butler. This would be the deepest 76ers guard rotation since the 2020-21 season and arguably better.
With Philadelphia’s hypothetical influx of guard talent, another question arises – what will its starting back-court look like? Needless to say, Maxey will occupy one slot, so the battle would likely be with Grimes and McCain. With McCain appearing as the clear favorite for the Rookie of the Year award before tearing his meniscus on December 13th, 2024, he has a formidable case over grimes.
However, Grimes’ counterargument starts on the defensive end. At this stage of their respective careers, he is a much better point-of-attack defender than McCain, whose defensive impact is limited by his 6’ 2 stature. With Maxey standing at the same height, Grimes’ two-way prowess would be invaluable, especially when facing a team with an elite guard. Still, either guard would make for an elite sixth man and Nick Nurse could adjust his starting five accordingly.
Though Grimes has flashed his ability as a dynamic two-way guard, I’d imagine that his primary role would revert to that of a “3&D” wing next season since he’ll be playing alongside three stars next season – hopefully. Regardless, Philadelphia has at last found a high-level guard who impacts both ends of the floor and it would be wise to retain him at all costs this summer.