The Los Angeles Lakers gambled on Quentin Grimes being a cornerstone when they signed him to a four-year, $60 million contract. Grimes, of course, has never played for the Lakers and is thus being trusted to join an unfamiliar situation and instantly provide immense value.
Though it's only the preseason, Grimes is already showing why Los Angeles believed in him by setting the tone with his full-court pressure and helping the offensive stars play their ideal defensive roles.
Grimes has been tenacious, picking opposing lead guards up at full court and applying constant pressure. That demanding defensive role has done nothing to prevent him from scoring 28 points in 45 minutes between the Lakers' first two preseason games.
That includes an opening salvo of 16 points in 19 minutes while playing rugged defense against players at a variety of positions.
Yes, the Lakers' defense will still go as far as interior anchor Walker Kessler will take it, much as the offensive will rely on Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. What Grimes is proving, however, is that he has the tools to make everyone around him better through his defense, effort, and offensive skill set.
Most of all, Grimes is setting the tone before opposing offenses even get to Kessler and clearly defining Doncic and Reaves' defensive roles.
Quentin Grimes’ full-court press will set the tone for the Lakers
Grimes was initially praised for picking up guards off the inbound during training camp and has translated that approach to the preseason. It’s a brutal tactic for a defender to lead, but he’s done so with enthusiasm and helped set a high standard for the other four players on the court with him.
In the process, he’s proven that the player leading the front end can be all but as vital to a team’s efforts as the last line of defense.
If a player is going all-out from the moment the ball is inbounded, anyone alongside them who isn’t playing with the same intensity will stick out. That will make it easier for Lakers head coach JJ Redick to identify players who need to improve, as well as substitutions that need to be made and matchups that aren’t working in Los Angeles’ favor.
Moreover, it should help ball hawks like Doncic and Matisse Thybulle make plays in the passing lanes as Grimes forces errant passes and prevents teams from setting up their offense as quickly as they would like.
Quentin Grimes optimizes the offensive stars’ defensive roles
Even if he weren’t picking opponents up at full court, Grimes’ defensive presence would be essential to helping Doncic and Reaves play their best basketball. Both are stars on the offensive end of the floor, but they also have question marks on defense that can no longer be glossed over.
For Doncic, it’s a general lack of consistency when defending guards. For Reaves, it’s teams’ ability to isolate him, bring ball screens, and exploit his weaknesses.
That’s where Grimes comes in. He’s not only a tenacious defender, but a productive one who’s willing and able to match up against teams’ best guards. In 2025-26, he ranked in the 87th percentile in perimeter isolation defense and spent 61.15 percent of his possessions defending guards, per Basketball Index.
That should help limit the number of possessions that Doncic and Reaves spend defending opposing teams’ best guards, or at the very least the quickest offensive players.
Quentin Grimes simplifies the game for the stars, raises the bar for the supporting cast
In turn, Doncic should be able to match up against players who are closer to his height, weight, and athletic ability—primarily wings and 4s. Moreover, he should be able to focus more on playing the passing lanes, which is a plus considering he ranked No. 6 in the NBA in steals per game in 2025-26.
As for Reaves, his excellent off-ball defense that ranked in the 97th percentile in 2025-26, per Basketball Index, can become more of a focal point and his time spent on top-tier isolation scorers should decrease.
In the process, both Doncic and Reaves should be positioned to play their best on defense and conserve energy for offense. Considering their demanding offensive roles—their usage rates combined to exceed 60 percent in 2025-26 and will likely grow in 2026-27 with LeBron James no longer on the roster—that’s a vital goal to achieve.
No player will be as important to the Lakers’ defensive success than Kessler, but Reaves is right there with him as the key to Los Angeles’ perimeter consistency and optimal roles.
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