2019 NBA Draft: Quentin Grimes preseason scouting report and video

Now that the 2018 NBA Draft has concluded, it is time to shift focus into the next crop of talent, starting with 2019 NBA Draft prospect and Kansas freshman Quentin Grimes.

Quentin Grimes is one of the top incoming freshman prospects for the 2019 NBA Draft. He recently had the opportunity to build upon his draft stock with Team USA at the FIBA U18 Americas tournament. Grimes took advantage of his opportunity, winning MVP of the tournament and leading the United States to a rather effortless gold medal.

The future Kansas freshman has all the accolades of a future one-and-done prospect — highly ranked recruit, McDonald’s All-American, Jordan Brand Classic participant, you name it, Grimes has it. He will immediately step into a major role at Kansas with a large chunk of their starting lineup now playing professionally, whether that be in the NBA, G League or overseas.

These preseason scouting videos and brief write-ups that I will be doing are just a baseline overview of these prospects. Just like every other prospect, Grimes will still be growing into a better prospect in college, which is why I do not want to label his game with strengths and weaknesses just yet.

So instead of using those stronger words, I will use “standout skills” and “areas for improvement.” Now, let’s get into Grimes’ standout skills and areas for improvement, along with a full scouting video from the diaper dandy’s FIBA U18 performance.

Standout skills 

• Strong frame and size for a wing at 6’5.5″. Frame and explosive leaping ability help him finish through contact.
• Showed some playmaking equity. Saw the floor well at the tournament in the half-court. Also was able to make simple reads in transition. Flashed some passing equity off movement, which was pleasantly surprising since Grimes did not have that reputation as a prospect coming in.
• Good rebounder for his size, averaged 4.0 rebounds in 23 minutes. Good speed in the open court and passing ability gives him some grab-and-go value.
• Flashed the ability to work out of pick-and-roll, and change speeds off the dribble.
• Did not shoot very efficiently, but has a beautiful one-motion shot with a high release. Shooting reputation and form makes him an easily projectable shooter.
• Strong on-ball defense throughout the tournament, handled change of directions from quicker guards very well.

Areas for improvement

• Would like to see him become more comfortable shooting off movement. Limited possessions for anyone shooting off movement on Team USA throughout the tournament, but did not look comfortable in that area.
• Did not create crazy amounts of separation off the dribble. Would like to see him develop more one-on-one moves when attacking. Mainly just uses an in-and-out movement in high-usage situations and a step-back when attacking close-outs.
• Prone to off-ball mistakes, can be late reacting to a pass when he plays help-side defense. Needs to improve his close-outs.

Scouting video:

Overall impression

Overall, I thought this was an extremely strong showing for Grimes. The flashes of playmaking ability he showed will likely not be seen at Kansas, but help me feel more comfortable projecting that area of his game.

Even though he did not shoot it efficiently, it really did not matter. He has a reputation of being a stronger shooter along with having great form on his jump shot.

Next: 2018 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far

On both sides of the ball, Grimes played very well, showing secondary skills that he was not known for, proving that he should be a consensus top-20 name on every preseason draft board.