The Los Angeles Lakers signed two-way wing Quentin Grimes to a four-year, $60 million contract this offseason. Grimes is undoubtedly a talented player, but there are some worries about his player profile alongside Luka Doncic.
For one thing, Grimes isn't a tremendous three-point shooter. Last season in Philadelphia, he shot 33.4% from downtown. His career 36.6% from 3 is slightly more encouraging, but Grimes still isn't the quintessential 3-and-D type wing that you'd love to have around Doncic.
Should the Lakers be concerned about Quentin Grimes?
Grimes also isn't a big wing by NBA standards, which has some fans wondering if he'll be the defensive stopper that the Lakers need him to be. At 6-foot-5, Grimes can definitely guard point guards and shooting guards in the NBA. But as far as defending bigger wings around the league, it's still unclear if Grimes can be the primary defender and stopper that the Lakers are banking on.
Offensively, Grimes is really good at attacking closeouts and using his athleticism to impact the game. He's been an inconsistent shooter basically his whole career, and the Lakers shouldn't expect anything too different. However, he'll probably get the best looks of his career playing next to the gifted passer that is Doncic.
Quentin Grimes sounds like he's a huge fan of Luka Doncic's game
Grimes didn't shy away from praising Luka recently. "Nobody in the NBA is really like [6-foot-8] with that pace," he said. "He plays with his own rhythm, his own cadence. And then he's big enough to just put you on his hip and just bump and shoot a [fadeaway] over you. Or he can get all the way downhill and make plays. He's got one-of-one vision out there on the court."
Alongside Walker Kessler, Colin Sexton, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Kevon Looney, Jaden Hardey, Cameron Carr and Ziaire Williams, Grimes is a newcomer in Los Angeles who needs to hit the ground running for this team to be a contender next season.
Notably, Grimes and Doncic spent a short time together in Dallas. Doncic was reportedly among the first players to text Grimes after he signed with the Lakers.
Lakers hoping that Quentin Grimes' skill-set fits well with Luka Doncic
The good news for L.A. is that they don't need Grimes to be a high-usage creator or scorer. The Lakers have Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Sexton for that.
We know that Grimes' floor on the wing is someone who belongs in an NBA rotation. How effective he'll be on a ceiling basis remains to be seen, but it wouldn't be too surprising if he ends up playing the best basketball of his career in purple and gold.
The Lakers' roster construction at this point should revolve around putting pieces around Doncic that emphasize his strengths and mitigate his weaknesses. From Grimes's comments, it appears that he appreciates Doncic as a player and realizes he's one of the best players in the world.
We can expect Grimes to put all the work in and do what needs to be done to emphasize Doncic's strengths and make the Lakers as good as possible. It'll be fascinating to see how he fits with this squad, but he already seems to have the right mindset.
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