08-20-2024, 11:41 AM
(08-20-2024, 10:12 AM)mvossman Wrote: I can understand there being some concern with Naji defending the 4, but I think you are overstating how bad Grimes was last season. In NY, he shot over 36% on very high volume while playing quality POA defense. The volume is a big deal. Its probably a better indicator of the space he creates than his three point percentage. Our three and D players mostly shoot wide open shots. Grimes shot over 43% in NY last season on wide open shots (he shot 44% in his first two seasons). The Grimes that played in NY last season would be very valuable on this team. He is the perfect fit next to Luka.
Then he got traded to Detroit, a place he clearly didn't want to be. He played 6 terrible games there until they shut him down. I don't know if he was bad those 6 games because he didn't want to be there, or was dealing with a knee injury or just a bad stretch, but I'm not that worried about him "magically" reverting from 6 games in Detroit to the player he was for 2.5 seasons in NY.
I'm just not buying that the stats are generally giving us that ^ rosy characterization on Grimes in NY.
I can again recite and explain all the things in the stats and his track record that I see that have made me leery of expecting he will be what we hope, but rather than going into all the specific negatives, this time I'll just leave it at "I'm very leery."
I hope I'm wrong. And we'll get an objective answer in the fall.
In the meantime, I'm not putting him any higher in my lineup expectations than I think he will start with (And from the way they phrase things, the Mavs simply "hope" they get something from him that might help.) Unless Grimes is just off the charts in camp, I think Exum will be higher in the pecking order to start the season.