Quentin Grimes Will Have a Better Career Than Donovan Mitchell

The Knicks and Utah Jazz have been engaged in Donovan Mitchell trade talks for what feels like my entire life. From the moment I opened my eyes for the first time to behold the beauty of life on Earth, the Jazz have been trying to steal a bajillion first-round draft picks for their shooting guard who plays zero defense and refuses to pass the ball to his teammates.

There is a new rumor this weekend that claims Knicks head coach, Tom Thibodeau, would rather give up RJ Barrett than Quentin Grimes and before Knicks fans roll their eyes out of their head—he is 1000% correct.

Casual Knicks fans who rarely ever watch basketball games are steadfast in their belief that New York should give Utah everything in exchange for Donovan Mitchell who would be the biggest star on the team since Carmelo Anthony yet there is some collective amnesia where everyone forgets the Knicks had to give up half their roster leaving Melo with 11 scrubs every season with no chance of ever winning a title.

Quentin Grimes is the type of player you need on your roster in order to win meaningful basketball games. He’s a strong wing with phenomenal on-ball defensive skills who is capable of putting the best ball handlers in the league in a torture chamber.

Be careful how you talk about Quentin Grimes going forward. pic.twitter.com/xEsb6V5KTy

— Big Knick Energy (@BigKnickEnergy_) August 17, 2022

This man can lift a car over his head.

I understand it’s a far smaller sample size but Grimes was a better shooter than Mitchell last season and he’ll only improve in that regard. He has a quick release and shoots with Dion Waiters level confidence except the ball goes through the net far more than Waiters’s ever did.

Summer League is bullshit or whatever but Grimes showed he can put the ball on the floor, attack close-outs, and get to the basket with some gorgeous finishes at the rim.

Quentin Grimes last 4 Summer League games:

19 PTS | 3 REB | 3 AST
22 PTS | 6 REB | 4 AST
24 PTS | 4 REB | 3 STL
24 PTS | 4 REB | 4 AST pic.twitter.com/NGo07T13OX

— StatMuse (@statmuse) July 20, 2022

Sure, Quentin Grimes isn’t a ‘star’ like people believe Donovan Mitchell is but that’s more dependent on their usage and minutes. If Grimes had the green light and was responsible for all the playmaking like Mitchell is in Utah, I could easily see Quentin being an All-Star.

You also have to factor in Grimes entering his second season meaning he’s under a cheap rookie contract. He has an extremely high ceiling and doesn’t have a max contract like Mitchell. And I earnestly believe he is already as skilled offensively and he’s an astronomically better defender.

Unfortunately, it seems as if the Knicks front office has no idea how to build a basketball team and seem more focused on just getting their friends paid. Jalen Brunson is a good point guard but there’s absolutely no reason for him to be on this team taking minutes away from Grimes or Immanuel Quickley. We may never see what Grimes is truly capable of until he ends up in Milwaukee or Miami when the Knicks don’t re-sign him.

Donovan Mitchell scores 25 points a game. He isn’t that interested in passing the ball and is even less interested in playing any defense. Quentin Grimes will have a better career when it’s all said and done.