At the age most NBA first-round picks are at their most dominant, Quentin Grimes was learning what it took to play on the high-major level.
Unlike draft stars whose usually brief one-year cameos put them squarely in the middle of the NBA scouting radar, Grimes blended in during his freshman year at Kansas. Sixth on the team in scoring, he attempted only 7.7 shots per game and averaged almost as many turnovers as assists. It wasn’t the season that was expected for the former top-10 recruit.
But in the long run, it may have served the emerging Knicks shooting guard well. At least, that’s what one Kansas coach believes.
“He stayed in college for three years, and that has a lot to do with [his success],” assistant coach Norm Roberts, who was at Kansas when Grimes was there, told The Post in a phone interview this week. “Understanding how to be a good teammate; understanding how to affect the game more than just scoring; understanding defensive concepts; understanding playing in big, big games, like he got a chance to do both here and at Houston; playing for a coach here and at Houston who are really demanding. That stuff really helps guys when they go to the league.
