Paul George made his long-awaited 2025-2026 regular season debut on Monday, November 17 in a 110-108 victory over the LA Clippers. It was a poetic return for George, as he joined the starting lineup to help the Philadelphia 76ers defeat his former team.
However, the subtle development of George’s return to the rotation is perhaps the most significant: Quentin Grimes played a role unaffected by the star’s presence.
Grimes was one of the 76ers’ most valuable players during their 8-5 start to the 2025-26 season. With George missing 12 games and Joel Embiid sidelined for seven, Grimes has helped fill the void as an early candidate for Sixth Man of the Year.
That trend continued against the Clippers, when Grimes played 36 minutes — the 10th time in 13 games he’s been on the court for at least 30 minutes and the 12th time he’s gotten at least 28.
In his 36 minutes, Grimes scored 19 points, three assists, two rebounds, two blocks and a steal on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. He scored nine of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, including seven in the final 3:48 of a two-point win.
With Grimes continuing the trend of making invaluable contributions to the 76ers’ success, Nurse can’t be afraid to continue prioritizing his minutes no matter what happens with George.
Quentin Grimes is too valuable to the 76ers to cut his minutes for Paul George
The 76ers have quietly found the three-man lineup of the future with VJ Edgecombe, Grimes and Tyrese Maxey. According to databallr’s WOWY lineup detailsthe trio has outscored opponents by 20.3 points per 100 possessions and dominated on both ends of the floor.
Philadelphia produces an offensive rating of 125.3 and a defensive rating of 105.0 during that time, shooting 38.4 percent and holding opponents to 31.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Individually, Grimes has posted averages of 16.8 points, 4.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 0.6 blocks and 2.5 three-point field goals made in 31.2 minutes per game. He’s shooting at a sustainable .476/.400/.828 clip, just a slight increase from his .467/.385/.757 mark in 2024-25.
Philadelphia has benefited greatly from his scoring, as it is currently 5-2 if he scores at least 15 points and 3-3 if he doesn’t.
Quentin Grimes represents the future of the 76ers, both financially and otherwise
With Grimes playing at a level that rival executives are likely to keep an eye on, one can’t help but acknowledge that he will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. With top chemistry already developing with two franchise cornerstones, the 76ers are suddenly confronted with a terrifying financial reality.
Re-signing Grimes could cost Philadelphia a significant amount of money in 2026, and letting him walk could mean splitting up the perimeter trio that could anchor the franchise’s future.
Rather than trim Grimes’ minutes and risk his search for a big role elsewhere, the 76ers should continue to test how important his upside is. Still just 25 years old, he is on pace to have made significant statistical progress in consecutive seasons.
Numbers aside, Grimes proves flexible as he thrives as a starter or sixth man, depending on what the situation calls for.
George’s minutes will inevitably increase as the season progresses and he gets closer to 100 percent. However, when that happens, the 76ers can’t be afraid to keep Grimes’ minutes steady and put George in the position of having to acclimate to the new trio of the future instead of functioning in the opposite manner.
Grimes may or may not have a future in Philadelphia, but Nurse can’t shy away from how clear his value to the rotation is in a high-volume role.
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