Quentin Grimes lives up to defensive reputation in first game with Detroit Pistons

A lot went right for Quentin Grimes in his debut with the Detroit Pistons on Saturday. It was also apparent he hadn’t played in a while.

Most of his shots fell short of the rim, as the sharpshooting guard is still getting his legs back under him. Otherwise, his defense and off-ball activity on offense were notable. He finished his first game as a Piston with five points (on 2-for-8 shooting), four assists, two steals and a block in 26 minutes.

Neither he nor the league-worst Pistons (8-48) are concerned about his shooting. The shots will come, he said.

He had several key plays in Saturday's 112-109 loss to the Orlando Magic, which ended with Paolo Banchero knocking down a tough midrange jumper through contact for a three-point play with 0.8 seconds remaining.

Grimes seized a substantial role, two weeks after he was traded from the New York Knicks for Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks. Because of a knee sprain, Grimes hadn’t played since Jan. 30.

“I felt good,” Grimes said after playing his first game in more than three weeks. “Me coming off an injury and not playing that much, you gotta get that game out the way. Everybody knows what I’m capable of and what I do, so I’m not even worried about that.

“It’s a good locker room. Everybody is pumping you up no matter who it is, not just me. … Everybody knows what everyone is capable of on this team.”

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During his college years at Houston, and then his time with the Knicks, he developed a reputation as a strong defender and outside shooter. That made him a trade deadline target for the Pistons, who view the 23-year-old as a long term fit with the organization. A career 37.9% 3-point shooter, he should improve as he gets back into the routine.

He led the Pistons reserves in minutes Saturday with 26, logging more time than rookie Ausar Thompson, who got the start but was limited to 20 minutes because of foul trouble.

Grimes initially checked in midway through the first quarter. His first bucket was a fastbreak dunk off a misplaced inbounds pass by Orlando.

He later found James Wiseman underneath after a timely cut to the basket for a pair of free throws. His motor on defense is high, giving the Pistons a needed point-of-attack defender who can contain opposing ball-handlers.

Another steal from Grimes, early in the second period, set up a fastbreak dunk by Simone Fontecchio that tied the game at 35.

Those highlights brought praise from head coach Monty Williams.

“His tenacity, getting over screens and staying in front of the ball,” Williams said. “Once he figures out what we’re doing in real time — you can do all that stuff in walkthroughs and practice but in the game it’s a bit different — I like what he brings to the table. His shot, it’s a big-time, from a technique standpoint, legs, everything you want in a jump shot, that’s going to come as he gets his rhythm and his cardio.”

Grimes didn't connect beyond the arc until early in the fourth quarter, and finished the night 1-for-5 from deep. If his accuracy picks up, he should be able to play next to Cade Cunningham or Jaden Ivey and take pressure off them defensively.

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After the game, Grimes noted he’s still learning the playbook. He didn’t get a chance to settle down in Detroit until the All-Star break, stopping in the Motor City only briefly after the trade for his physical before joining the team in Los Angeles.

With 26 games remaining, he has more than a month to acclimate to his new surroundings before the offseason.

“Just learning the city,” Grimes said. “We got in the day before our first game, we were out West with the whole team, so really it’s my first time being in the city of Detroit, getting acclimated with the whole facility, the guys, trying to build as much chemistry as you can as fast as possible for the last couple of games. We can build on that going into the offseason. Everybody’s working extremely hard. I feel like right now we’re in a good place.”

Grimes’ debut, along with Isaiah Stewart’s pending return from a three-game suspension Tuesday, will force Williams to change up his rotation, which has been in a constant flux since the deadline. Shake Milton, who arrived at the deadline from the Minnesota Timberwolves, was a healthy scratch after appearing in the past four games.

Williams has had a tendency to go deep into his bench. Eleven players entered Thursday’s loss to the Indiana Pacers before halftime. He also went 11-deep in Phoenix against the Suns just before the All-Star break.

But Williams "tightened" his rotation Saturday, with 10 players checking in; Wiseman and Troy Brown Jr. played fewer than 16 minutes apiece.

Fontecchio, who scored 17 points, and Grimes were both brought in to upgrade defense while providing spacing on offense. Fontecchio started his fourth straight game.

Saturday was a sign the duo will be among the team's priorities down the stretch.

“I thought he was great,” Cunningham said of Grimes. “Really got after it defensively, spaced the floor for us, knows how to play. It’s going to be great for us.”

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pistons' Quentin Grimes already living up to defensive reputation