[Lowe] Friday = 10 Things I Like + Don't Like, starring the NBA's new "pound the rock" team, a favorite Joel Embiid thing, Quentin Grimes ahead of the curve, an unsung Heat hero, PASS KAT THE BALL, much more:

Grimes is a nimble, smart defender hitting 39.4% from deep on a mammoth attempt rate. That 3-and-D profile is about as advertised.

But "3-and-D" sometimes isn't enough at the highest levels. The best teams stock up on "3-and-D-and-D" guys, with the last "D" standing for "drive" -- the ability to dust defenders who run you off the arc, and then slice into the lane to make the next play. That is where Grimes has exceeded even the most optimistic Year 1 projections.

https://www.nba.com/stats/events/?CFID=&CFPARAMS=&ContextMeasure=FG3M&EndPeriod=0&EndRange=28800&GameID=0022100666&PlayerID=1630193&RangeType=0&Season=2021-22&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&StartPeriod=0&StartRange=0&TeamID=1610612752&flag=3&sct=plot&section=game

Unless you track hockey assists, Grimes gets no statistical credit on this play -- even though he spins the connective tissue that binds it. Decisiveness is a meta-skill that amplifies other skills. It makes you faster, grants you access to more passes and wider lanes. Grimes seizes the baseline before Minnesota's blitzing defense can reset itself.

What happens next is more exciting. Defenses anticipate the corner-to-corner pass there. They want the offense to ping it from station to station. Grimes wrong-foots Minnesota by skipping the middleman, and slinging to Obi Toppin up high.

https://www.nba.com/stats/events/?CFID=&CFPARAMS=&ContextMeasure=FG3A&EndPeriod=0&EndRange=28800&GameID=0022100666&PlayerID=1629628&RangeType=0&Season=2021-22&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&StartPeriod=0&StartRange=0&TeamID=1610612752&flag=3&sct=plot&section=game

This is another drive against the grain. Taurean Prince drifts from Grimes to clog the middle. That exposes a gap to Grimes' left. Prince expects Grimes to attack that gap. Grimes out-thinks him. He fakes left, lets Prince fly by, and knifes into the middle.

Grimes will slump. All rookies do. But he has shown enough that the Knicks should (and probably will) investigate what they might get in return for their veteran wings.

/r/nba Thread Parent Link - espn.com