All of the madness has come to a halt, as the NBA's trade deadline passed on Thursday afternoon. With one of the most hectic and eventful deadlines in league history now in the rearview mirror, it is time to focus on the remaining two months and change of regular season action.
The Sixers added two players to their roster via trade this week: fourth-year wing Quentin Grimes and two-way point guard Jared Butler. Amid all of the chaos, I have done my best to play catch-up in watching the two players to see what they can offer their new team. In this week's edition of Friday film, here is one skill the Sixers can bank on from Grimes and Butler moving forward:
MORE: What did the Sixers accomplish at this trade deadline?
Quentin Grimes
Signature skill: shot-making
Sometimes it is best to keep things simple, and the fact is that Grimes' strongest trait is his ability to knock down difficult shots. A 39.8 percent three-point shooter this season on significant volume, Grimes is not just an accurate shooter, but a versatile one.
Perhaps the first thing folks look for when evaluating the offensive skill set of a role player acquisition by the Sixers is spot-up shooting, and Grimes is reliable there. He has shot 37.8 percent on spot-up threes so far this season according to NBA.com, and his picture-perfect motion inspires a whole lot of confidence:
Quentin Grimes' extremely quick trigger on spot-up threes — and his ability to comfortably rise up over close contests — makes him a valuable asset for the Sixers' offense: pic.twitter.com/7byWB1Mwby
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) February 5, 2025
Grimes' shooting ability extends far beyond opportunities off the catch. For a player who is not known as a particularly significant on-ball scoring threat, he is extremely comfortable shooting off the dribble:
Quentin Grimes is not someone the Sixers will rely on for consistent on-ball scoring, but he is comfortable pulling up for tough off-the-dribble threes: pic.twitter.com/X5kZ4wyBXS
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) February 5, 2025
Grimes is shooting 44.2 percent on pull-up three-point shots, according to NBA.com, a wildly impressive figure for anyone, let alone a role player. He has a few variations of a step-back move that he likes a lot, and is especially comfortable coming off a screen with a dribble or two before rising up:
Quentin Grimes has some juice as an off-dribble three-point shooter: pic.twitter.com/P1ls3bh0iW
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) February 5, 2025
A source told PhillyVoice on Thursday morning that Grimes was expected to make his Sixers debut in Friday night's road game against the Detroit Pistons. Grimes finished last season in Detroit and was traded to Dallas during the offseason.
Jared Butler
Signature skill: alley-oop passing
Butler's most attractive skill is not any sort of outlier ability, but the absence of weaknesses. But as I watched the vast majority of Butler's assists over the last two seasons, I found a noticeable trend: unlike any of his new teammates, Butler is noticeable comfortable throwing lobs to rolling bigs. Take a look:
Jared Butler really, really, REALLY knows how to throw an alley-oop pass: pic.twitter.com/QF7VJff5aA
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) February 6, 2025
An early wish for Butler's role: tying his minutes to those of rookie center Adem Bona, who is screening and rolling like his life depends on it and just does not get opportunities to throw down massive alley-oop dunks that he is ready to finish. The Sixers did just lose their next-best lob threat in KJ Martin, but also have above-the-rim wings in Kelly Oubre Jr. and Ricky Council IV who Butler can connect with.
While on Butler, some Sixers fans may remember him nearly leading the NBA-worst Washington Wizards to an upset win in Philadelphia last month. He scored a career-high 26 points in only 20 minutes off the bench, torching the Sixers while also dishing out seven assists. Here's a reminder of what Butler is capable of.
Jared Butler against the Sixers on Jan. 8:
20 minutes
26 points (career-high)
7 assists
4 rebounds
10-19 FG
3-3 3P
All of his baskets and a few assists from that night: pic.twitter.com/he0lUYuoIi— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) February 6, 2025
Whether or not Butler will be available in Detroit remains unclear, but there should be clarity in the not-so-distant future about when the 24-year-old will be set to make his Sixers debut.
SIXERS TRADE DEADLINE INSTANT REACTIONS
Grimes for Caleb Martin | KJ Martin sent to Pistons | Swapping guards & picks with Wizards
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