Knicks Kids Get Off To Strong Start in Vegas

Quentin Grimes, the player with the most NBA experience on the Knicks summer league roster, said earlier this week that he planned to "come out and dominate" in Las Vegas.  

Although he struggled with his outside shot Friday night, Grimes took over in the second half of New York's Vegas opener vs. the Golden State Warriors, powering New York 101-88 victory. He finished the contest with 24 points, a game-high eight assists, four rebounds, four 3-pointers and a pair of steals. Grimes was just 8-of-21 from the floor and 4-of-14 from downtown but never shied away from open looks and was aggressive throughout the contest. We can expect Grimes to lead the summer league squad in scoring and ideally carry that momentum into training camp, where he'll compete for plenty of playing time on the wing. 

The big non-summer-league news out of New York Friday was the announcement that the Knicks had waived veteran big man Taj Gibson. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Gibson plans to sign with the Washington Wizards once he clears waivers on Sunday. 

Tommy Beer @TommyBeer

Let’s check in live on Thibs https://t.co/lCcF925oim

Tommy Beer @TommyBeer

Clears an extra $5.1 million in cap space for New York https://t.co/YmWxg2LFw7

While Gibson's on-court production was relatively limited over the past two seasons, he could be counted on to provide stout defense and rebounding whenever called upon. Offensively, Taj expanded his range out beyond the three-point arc in 2021-22, shooting 39.5% from downtown. With both Nerlens Noel and Mitch Robinson often missing time due to various ailments, having a solid backup like Gibson proved important.

Yet Gibson's most significant contribution was his influence on his teammates during practices, games, plane flights etc. To a man, nearly every Knick that played alongside Taj praised him effusively for his work ethic and mentorship over the past few years. Losing a veteran leader like Gibson can have an outsized effect on a locker room. We saw how losing the seldom-used Theo Pinson last season seemed to impact the Knicks' camaraderie in 2021-22. 

However, waiving the 37-year-old Gibson was a sensible decision because it not only clears $5.1 million off the Knicks' salary cap but also opens up minutes for 23-year-old Jericho Sims.