Just a few days after their riveting dub in their first game, the Philadelphia 76ers followed it up with another close victory, this time beating the Charlotte Hornets for their first outing at home. The team now has a clean 2-0 record early in the year, which is a great way to start their campaign.
The 76ers fell victim to the Hornets’ rabid shooting in this game, most of which had been behind since the start of the second half, but they were able to outlast Charlotte by beating that in their game – attack. Philly caught fire late in the fourth and a Quentin Grimes three-point shot that broke a 119 deadlock ultimately became the killing blow.
Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and even Andre Drummond made some big plays late to beat the visitors, but if this game proved one thing, it’s that Grimes will be incredibly important to their scoring attack this season. The 25-year-old finished with 24 points, three rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes of gameplay, knocking down seven of his 14 shots and five of his eight attempts from Rainbow Country.
The 76ers just realized that Quentin Grimes will be the player to unleash their offense this season
Despite his initially messy free agency situation, people always knew Grimes would be important for the 76ers this season. The way this roster is set up, he will be that player that ties everything together, and this dub only reinforced that infallible fact.
Shooting from beyond the arc isn’t exactly a strength for this 76ers team, especially in the frontcourt. Most of their sharpness from three-point territory comes from their guards, and Grimes in particular is perhaps the team’s most reliable off-ball threat.
Unlike his backcourt contemporaries in Maxey, Edgecombe and Jared McCain, who may be nearing his return, Grimes does most of his damage without the ball in his hands. He’s a smart cutter in those open lanes, and he’s also adept at moving around the rim to hunt for open shots and make corner passing easier for his teammates crashing into the rim.
Simply put, Quentin Grimes makes everything seamless offensively for the 76ers. And what’s exciting is that he hasn’t even gotten many reps with this actual group yet. Now that he has more time to interact with his teammates, their scoring attack will become even more lethal, which could offset some of their existing issues.
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