Quentin Grimes Describes Kyrie Irving As Underrated Defender

The Dallas Mavericks are well-known for their offensive skills. But there’s a new topic in town, as Shooting Guard Quentin Grimes publicly described veteran Point Guard Kyrie Irving as an “underrated defender” in recent days. Grimes, 24, is one of the newest Dallas Mavericks ahead of 2024-25, while Irving, 32, has been playing for the Mavericks since 2023. 

The Mavericks defense has often been a cause of concern. However, Grimes recently complimented Irving’s defensive skills out of the blue, which can change the minds of some, if not most, people who look down on the team’s defense as a whole. Read on for further details surrounding Grimes’ recent description of Irving.

Quentin Grimes Describes Kyrie Irving

Quentin Grimes recently described Kyrie Irving with just two words as an “underrated defender” after the Dallas Mavericks’ morning shootaround the day of the Mavericks first preseason game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night. Grimes told the media members, “Kai (Kyrie Irving), kind of a really underrated defender honestly. I played against him in Brooklyn and everything.”

When asked why Irving is considered underrated defensively, Grimes responded, “Usually good offensive players are pretty underrated defenders. So I remember in Brooklyn he was always like, really good with his hands, get his hands on a lot of balls… Get out in transition and get buckets. Kyrie (Irving), when I was in Brooklyn, I felt like he was always an underrated defender in my opinion.”

Outlook On Grimes

Quentin Grimes’ professional basketball career has been full of highlights, such as the public’s consideration of Grimes as an “elite defensive asset” on the perimeter in his high school basketball career. He played for Kansas and Houston during his college basketball career. He was named a Third-Team All-American in 2021 as a part of the Houston Cougars men’s basketball team.

So far this year, Grimes is on his third NBA team in eight months, but he appears to be making the most of his newest opportunity in the league. His elite defense can help him become a top point-of-attack defender in Dallas, as he specializes in defense, thanks to his defensive mentality and versatility.

Grimes’ Dual Proficiency

The Dallas Mavericks’ defense might be below average, but Quentin Grimes’ dual proficiency could help the Mavericks succeed in creating security in 2024-25 and beyond. Grimes’ dual proficiency covers both his abilities as an elite defender and a spot-up shooter and could make up for the potential defensive shortcomings of Irving and Company.

Grimes’ recent description of Irving as an “underrated defender” might or might not be true. Now’s the perfect time to see if the latter could play a crucial role and solidify the team’s defense in the upcoming season. Grimes also believes the Mavericks’ defense is “scary underrated,” so now’s the time to keep tabs on the team’s defense to see if the positives outweigh the negatives.