The Philadelphia 76ers seemed dead in the water on the heels of a nine-game losing streak, but to the surprise of many, they managed to hand the resurgent Golden State Warriors a seven-point beating at home, improving their record to 21-38 on the season.
With Joel Embiid already ruled out for the season and Tyrese Maxey immensely struggling from the field, finishing with just five points on two of 14 shooting, it seemed impossible for the 76ers to whip up a dub and snap their skid. However, thanks to the heroics of newcomer Quentin Grimes, the hosts managed to put a governor to their free-fall in the standings.
Grimes finished the night with 44 markers, draining 18 of his 29 shots from the field, including six of his nine three-point attempts — the latter of which was more than sufficient to cover his puzzling struggles from the charity stripe (converting on only two of his eight free-throw attempts — to lead Philly to just its eighth win in the calendar year.
Breakout game from Quentin Grimes shows the 76ers might have to make a tough call later on
Since arriving in Philadelphia before the trade deadline in the Caleb Martin deal, Grimes has become even better than advertised. In nine games so far for the club, he has tallied 16.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per contest on 51.8 percent shooting from the field and a remarkable 41.4 percent conversion rate from rainbow country.
Grimes, who will be a restricted free agent after this season, could very well be in for a big payday during the offseason. Now in his fourth year, he has turned in a career year even when he was still donning the Dallas Mavericks’ colorway early in the season.
The 76ers have his Birds’ rights, meaning they can go over the cap to re-sign him, and while the front office could be prepared to do just that and match any offer for the 24-year-old, his role with the team could remain hazy, even with this performance of his.
Jared McCain, who is expected to make a full recovery before the start of the next campaign, is poised to be the lead two-guard moving forward alongside Tyrese Maxey. That could make the 76ers think twice before fully committing to Grimes, who operates much better as a natural shooting guard than as a shoehorned, converted small forward.
Of course, there is a lot of room for synergy moreso than a possible conflict, but the latter cannot be ignored. The 76ers are in a state of flux, and they have no other choice but to be more delicate and prudent in handing out big contracts, especially in light of cheaper alternatives.
The Philadelphia 76ers are savoring the solid production they have gotten from Quentin Grimes, but given their situation, his long-term future with the franchise could still be far from resolute.