Quentin Grimes Brings a Fresh Dynamic to the Sixers Plodding Offense

Sorting over any positive amidst this abysmal Sixers season has been a difficult task. But with the addition of Quentin Grimes, Philadelphia has added a different backcourt dynamic to previous Tyrese Maxey counterparts.

As the team transitions into what looks to be a post-prime Joel Embiid era, the question around the style of play moving forward is valid. Are the Sixers to continually lean into a slow and big-man centric offense? Or, is there room to accentuate some of the added youth and athleticism uncovered in the draft, mid-season trades and free agent acquisitions?

Team Lagging Behind Recent Transition Uptick

Capitalizing in the league’s gradual rise in transition output has been one in the many ways the Sixers offense has failed to modernize itself in recent years. Embiid’s presence is a major component to anchoring the offense in a more methodical halfcourt approach. But even in a calendar year reflective of Embiid-DNPs, Philadelphia has fallen substantially lower than the league bar in transition volume.

SEASON	TEAMS WITH 24+ TRANSITION POINTS PER GAME	SIXERS TRANSITION POINTS PER GAME	LEAGUE RANK
2022-2023	4	19.9	23
2023-2024	6	21.9	11
2024-2025	13	21.5	21

The obvious benefactor of a pace-oriented offense is Tyrese Maxey, whose wavering inconsistency during this time can be somewhat linked to a more rigid offensive approach. But in the open court, Maxey is an absolute daemon, blazing past back-paddling defenders with effortless ease.

This season alone, the Sixers lead guard is averaging a noticeable 1.23 points per transition possession, which when stacked against a Paul George isolation possession (1.03 points per possession) or even a Maxey-own pick-and-roll possession (1.02 points per possession), clears the efficiency bar by a country mile.

But again, much of Philadelphia’s tempo is centered late in the shot-clock, with Nick Nurse’s offense often stumbling over slow-developing sets against a rapidly dwindling shot clock.

SHOT CLOCK RANGE (s)	FGAs	RANK	eFG	RANK
7-4	590	1	48.3%	23
4-0	567	2	37.7%	29

If improving efficient output and maximizing in-game possessions is the name of the game, Philadelphia is one to two steps behind the rest of the league. Enter Quentin Grimes.

Maxey’s New Connective Tissue

Amidst the revolving door of back-court teammates during his time in Philadelphia, Maxey has rarely linked up with one willing to truly run (unless you note a brief rookie stint alongside Ben Simmons’ farewell season). But with Quentin Grimes on board, the early indicators point to that changing in significant fashion.

While Philadelphia has yet to register much in the win column since the trade, the under-the-hood numbers suggest a growing (and powerful) link between the Sixers star guard and the newcomer. In 158 possessions without Joel Embiid on the court the transition output among this duo is staggering:

125 points per 100 transition possessions (97th percentile)
6.5 points added per 100 transition possessions (99th percentile)
36.8% of team’s live ball rebounds lead to a transition play (99th percentile)

If Grimes’ acquisition is the catalyst that draws more out of Maxey’s natural skillsets, the Sixers are certainly on the right path to securing a future backcourt. Grimes comes in at an undersized 6’4″ by today’s NBA standards, and there are certain concerns as to the viability of a smaller backcourt, specially as you factor in Jared McCain as well.

But in sorting thru the mess that has been the Sixers offense this season, Grimes has demonstrated the ability to boost Philadelphia’s effective field goal percentage by 2.3% when on the court, a considerable output that outperforms most of his teammates thus far. Simply stated, Grimes has a definitive role in the rotation driving positive offense.

With Grimes at the center of a renowned open court connection, this lumbering Sixers squad is positioned to phase into a more up-tempo style of play. And linking Maxey with other ball-handlers willing to rebound and attack is certainly the path to a less predictable offense (as Philadelphia sorts out Embiid’s availability for future seasons).

Pace & Directness. A Josh-Hart ‘Clone’

If you spent any time dissecting what went wrong in last year’s postseason loss to New York, one immediate take away was Josh Hart’s impact in annihilating the Sixers transition defense. The Knicks were surgical in breaking down a slow and aging roster, and Hart’s one-way freight train was the ticket to Philadelphia’s demise.

Well, those who can beat it, should surely mimic it. And it is very easy to see where the comparisons begin.

Here you can already see the Maxey-Grimes connection sprouting, with Paul George serving as the extra connector. Grimes’ soft hands and impressive balance enables him to get by the charging defender towards the rim.

Quentin Grimes’ burst in the open court is one of the most impressive components to his game, and he has the underrated speed to get by defenders with relative ease. On a roster decisively short of both traits, it is the pairing with Maxey that jumps off the film.

While some players will naturally drift towards the three-point line, Grimes attacks the basket with direct purpose, giving Maxey an easy lob opportunity off the turnover.

Amidst the one positive in a lost season, it is how Nurse’s gambling defense has generated a high volume of events (Philadelphia is second in creating turnovers), and Grimes provides a natural fit to those juicy live ball turnovers.

But limiting Grimes’ transition impact to a scorer-only mindset does the injustice to his ability to see the open court. The ex-Houston Cougar product brings a natural ‘court-general’ feel to the lineup, allowing transition lanes to develop with patience and precision.

Whether it is as a scorer or passer, Grimes has demonstrated the underrated ability of connecting defense to offense in a massive way. With other young bucks frothing at the mouth for a more up tempo style of play, his role in linking the old with the new should be a high priority past this season.

There will be difficult roster decisions to be made after a catastrophic year by all standards. In re-imagining what that next iteration can be, it is a player like Grimes who brings the underlying tools for re-shuffling Philadelphia’s style of play.

Obviously, most of those decisions will lie in how the Sixers’ brass views Embiid’s role and impact moving forward. But regardless of that outcome, there is a clear investment in Maxey as the ‘next guy’. And to get the most out of him, it starts with players like Grimes, who can potentialize his minutes, either as a starter, or off the bench.