Remember when Quentin Grimes and his camp basically demanded the world out of the Philadelphia 76ers front office last summer? Well, that for sure is not happening again anytime soon –– not with the kind of performances he has been putting up in high-stakes contests since the postseason began.
The 76ers, already shorthanded on the offensive end with Joel Embiid looking like a complete shutdown in Round 1, have not gotten any degree of steady production from their nominal sixth man. In the last two games (consisting of their play-in tournament match against the Magic and Game 1 of their first round series against the Celtics), Grimes totaled just 11 points combined while playing 47 minutes. That is simply unacceptable.
Grimes, who will be 26 soon, will be hitting the open market in the coming offseason. And in account of the disposition showed by his camp last summer, the 76ers should certainly expect them to resume their hefty demands. This time around, though, there is no more leverage to speak of. At this rate, he will be at the mercy of the front office.
Quentin Grimes is already losing millions in free agency with his subpar play for the 76ers
As it turns out, the 76ers were wise to recognize that Grimes’ semi-breakout during the latter juncture of the previous campaign was an aberration and not a sign of what is to come. Sure, his role might have capsized a bit, but his numbers simply do not scream “must keep” in free agency.
This season, Grimes averaged 13.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists on 45 percent shooting from the field, which includes a paltry 33.4 percent success rate from beyond the arc –– numbers that would hardly move prospective buyers given that he almost tallied 30 minutes on the average on a nightly basis.
Tha playoffs were going to be his blank canvas to convince teams that he is worth the investment anyway, but he is definitely failing in that regard to kick things off. Obviously, it has only been a couple of games since the regular season ended, but his lack of aggression during those outings only goes to show that he does not seem too enthused about a soft reset in the postseason to lure in a lucrative pay day.
Anyway, should the 76ers exit early from the playoffs as the early signs point to, Quentin Grimes is going to be relatively easy to gloss over. He has not shown much to warrant a contrary pondering. Heck, given how he is playing, he will likely have to settle for a new contract below his projected market rate.
And he can only blame himself for it.
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