The Philadelphia 76ers will have a decision to make in the upcoming offseason as they look to bounce back from a dreadful 2024-25 season. The Sixers were expected to contend for a title, but instead finished 24-58 as injuries decimated the roster.
As Philadelphia forges ahead, free agency will be an interesting time for them. The Sixers have to make a decision on Quentin Grimes who will enter the summer as a restricted free agent. In 28 games for the Sixers after being acquired at the deadline, Grimes averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists while shooting 46.9% from the floor and 37.3% from deep.
With that being said, he did a lot of that as an isolation scorer. One has to wonder how he will be able to fit into Philadelphia’s offense when the star trio of Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey all return healthy for the 2025-26 season. He only played a handful of games with them before the injuries took their toll.
It’s time to look at some film and evaluate how Grimes can fit. All videos are per NBA.com as one can find clips from their box scores:
Quentin Grimes can knock down catch-and-shoot opportunities. When he scored his then career-high 44 points against the Warriors in March, he played next to Tyrese Maxey and Paul George that night. #Sixerspic.twitter.com/riPURW14nQ
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) May 18, 2025
While this isn’t exactly catch-and-shoot, it does show that Grimes can make plays off the catch and be able to read what the defense is giving him, which is an open 3 when Draymond Green drops and Brandin Podziemski was trailing the play. It leads to a 1 dribble, in rhythm triple, and it keeps the offense in rhythm with the stars getting so much attention.
Then, there’s the isolation part of Grimes’ fit in Philadelphia. On those nights when the Sixers will undoubtedly miss their stars, it gives them the confidence knowing he can carry them on that end of the floor and keep the scoreboard moving.
His improvement as an isolation scorer really is something. With the stars out, he showed he was able to take players off the dribble and knock down looks in isolation. pic.twitter.com/luJFwbtyRe
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) May 18, 2025
As shown in the clip above, Grimes has the ability to take a defender off the dribble with a step-back triple. He puts a hard dribble on the drive, sees Jalen Green is off balance, and then quickly steps back and drills a 3. That’s a skill that’s needed in today’s NBA and it can fit in nicely next to the stars.
The final clip of Grimes’ potential fit is him waiting in the corner for an opportunity. When Maxey drove the paint, the Warriors collapsed on him–naturally. Maxey looks up and finds an open Grimes in the corner who drills another 3.
A catch-and-shoot chance when the defense is focused on Maxey on the drive pic.twitter.com/YUYiGlx8Ip
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) May 18, 2025
While Grimes will not be the ruthless, isolation scorer he was over the final months of the season, he has shown that he can be a catch-and-shoot option for the stars on the floor. There is a school of thought that if the Sixers do bring back Grimes, he will be the player he was over the final months of the season. That would be a bit foolish, as the stars returning will limit his opportunities, but what he can do is be an elite catch-and-shoot player who can also carry the offense should he need to. The clips above show a little bit of everything in his offensive game.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Film session: Evaluating how Quentin Grimes fits with Sixers stars