Quentin Grimes Is Focused On Getting Back To His Defensive Roots

Years ago, when Quentin Grimes was a member of the New York Knicks, he broke into their rotation — and subsequently, their starting lineup — by being a physical on-ball defender who glued himself to offensive stars and effectively fought over screens. He could knock down catch-and-shoot 3s and became a much better finisher but getting his foot in the door was built on defensive acumen.

The Los Angeles Lakers are hoping he’ll rediscover that defensive mojo this year. As Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves lead the way offensively, the Lakers likely won’t need Grimes to often tap into the ball-handling and shot creation growth he displayed during his 1.5 seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers. They’ll want him to keep converting efficiently around the basket and shoot much closer to his career 36.6 percent clip from deep than he did last year (33.4 percent) but they need more juice at the point of attack, particularly with Marcus Smart leaving in free agency.

“We’ve already had conversations with JJ and [assistant coach] Greg [St. Jean] trying to get me back to my first couple years in New York when Thibs kind of gave me a lot of responsibility being a point of attack defender,” Grimes told reporters at Monday’s media day. “Bringing that intensity, bringing that nastiness. Like you said, OKC and San Antonio, they play really hard defensively. You can get away with a lot more. So, we’re really trying to set that tone – me, Collin, Matisse, Ziaire just to try to set that tone of being one of the toughest and hardest playing teams on that end as well.”

Compared to his time as a Knick, Grimes didn’t operate with the same level of defensive intensity in Philadelphia. He was overextended a bit offensively (less so in 2025-26), so the goal will be for Dončić and Reaves’ presence to simplify his responsibilities on that end and unlock him defensively. If Grimes does defend like he did in New York and continues being a reliable play-finisher, he’ll be a perfect complement to Los Angeles’ backcourt stars.

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