Quentin Grimes plans to soak up everything he can from Klay Thompson

Dallas Mavericks guard Quentin Grimes, a new addition this offseason in a trade with the Detroit Pistons , is one of the intriguing unknowns entering the 2024-25 season. The 24 year old spent two and a half seasons with the New York Knicks before being traded last February to the flailing Pistons. In Detroit he played just 115 minutes over six games and then sat the rest of the season due to injury.

But Grimes possesses a skillset that should fit well in Dallas. He has a solid three-ball (he shot just under 38-percent during his time in New York on 800-plus attempts), and the frame to be a quality perimeter defender. While the Mavericks have spent opening week of training camp in Las Vegas, the former first round pick has set his sights on learning everything he can from his new teammate, future hall of famer Klay Thompson.

"I've been trying to talk his ear off the whole time. I shoot with him after practice almost every day," Grimes said recently post workout regarding his time already with Thompson. "He's been a good mentor for me."

Grimes can likely assume he's going to see open looks along the perimeter he's never benefitted from in the league, now playing alongside the gravity of Luka Doncic and playmaking of Kyrie Irving. Often spot-up shooters who join the Mavericks see quite a shift in volume of wide open looks once in Dallas. Looking back at his last full season in New York, the most productive of his career, the Mavericks have to be excited about his possibilities.

It is in those corners, a place Grimes was already impactful, that he could grow in learning from the veteran Thompson, who thrives off creating space and time to shoot off screen actions.

"Just telling me little things about my shot, how to get an easier shot off, pin-downs. They call it the 'Klay Action' for a reason." The video the team posted with the interview shows that exact training in action. "Learning from one of the best shooters that's ever played, is only going to elevate my game."

The Mavericks will get a full season to look at Grimes and his growth and longterm potential before they have to make contract decisions. This is his final season on a four-year deal, and he will be a restricted free agent next summer, allowing the team final say on signing, matching, or letting him go elsewhere. But given the young player's focus on soaking up all he can from his new veteran teammate, the Mavericks may have a steal on their hands.