A prevailing theme of the offseason, media day and the preseason has been Quentin Grimes’ prominent role on this Los Angeles Lakers team. His offensive punch as a shooter, driver and connective passer is appealing — and perhaps vital to Los Angeles reaching its ceiling on that end — but the Lakers are also hoping he can rediscover the defensive form he showed earlier in his career.
Thus far, through training camp and two preseason games, head coach JJ Redick is pleased with Grimes’ all-around performance.
He scored 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting Monday night against the Sacramento Kings before following that up with 12 points on 3-of-8 shooting Tuesday night against the Golden State Warriors.
“I think he’s a guy that, If needed, can create some advantages and, for that second-side action, can finish advantages offensively,” Redick told reporters following Los Angeles’ 124-98 defeat to the Warriors. “I think his commitment to the defensive end has been really good throughout camp and in these first two games. We’re excited about him.”
Grimes seems nearly entrenched as a starter alongside Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler, so his off-ball scoring and perimeter defense are crucial to his fit in the starting unit. He has plenty of experience thriving next to ball-dominant creators (Dončić himself included) and taking on arduous defensive assignments every night, so the blueprint for success is there.
Most intriguing about Redick’s comments above is believing Grimes “can create some advantages” himself. Presumably, much of the offense will flow through Dončić and Reaves but how much bandwidth might Grimes receive to initiate the occasional pick-and-roll or dribble handoff? He handled the ball fairly often during his time with the Philadelphia 76ers but they didn’t have the wealth of perimeter creation that Los Angeles does.
Still, it’s worth monitoring the level of freedom Redick grants Grimes in this offense, given the confidence he seems to have in his skill-set, and whether Grimes can maximize those opportunities. The play-finishing and perimeter defense are the most important elements but it’s possible he provides a bit more to make the Lakers an even more dangerous group offensively.
You can follow Jackson on Twitter at @jackfrank_jjf.
