When it was announced that Tyrese Maxey would miss a few weeks due to a finger injury, most thought it was game over for the Philadelphia 76ers, who were already without Joel Embiid and Paul George (suspension) and struggling to establish themselves as a real contender in the East.
But, though it hasn't always been pretty, the 76ers have been doing alright without their All-Star guard. They are 5-3 in his absence and currently own the No. 7 seed in the conference (and are just 0.5 games behind the No. 5 seed Toronto Raptors).
And a big reason for this is because of the stellar play of Quentin Grimes, who has stepped up in a big way in place of Maxey.
In a recent episode of "The Hoop Collective" podcast, ESPN's Brian Windhorst praised Grimes and what he has done in recent games.
"Can I just point out that recent Mavericks trade piece Quentin Grimes is putting up humongous numbers since Tyrese Maxey went down? ... I'll just say he's had a whole bunch of really high-level performances," Windhorst said.
Quentin Grimes' emergence is exactly what the 76ers needed
In the eight games since Maxey went down, Grimes has averaged 22.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while shooting 46.3% from the field in 33.9 minutes. This includes a stellar game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Mar. 15, when he scored a game-high 31 points on 11-for-22 shooting from the field (he also recorded three rebounds, three steals, two assists, and a block).
The Texas native has been a fantastic addition to the 76ers since they acquired him from the Dallas Mavericks ahead of last year's trade deadline for Caleb Martin (which, funny enough, isn't even Dallas' worst trade from that deadline. I don't think I'll ever fully wrap my head around the Luka Doncic trade). But he's playing some of the best basketball of his career right now, and Philadelphia desperately needed it.
It hasn't been a great time for the 76ers. Maxey, Embiid, and George are all out. They have been an average team since the turn of the calendar (just when the rest of the Eastern Conference is trending up). And everybody is still talking about the disaster that was the Jared McCain trade.
But at the very least, Grimes is playing some inspiring basketball and is probably the 76ers' biggest silver lining right now. It might not be enough to make fans feel confident that another banner is finally coming to Philadelphia, but during a time that is very bleak for the team, it's at least a welcoming sight to see.