5 Dark horse candidates to eventually break into Mavericks' starting lineup

4. Quentin Grimes

Quentin Grimes is a young player who has a bright future in the NBA.

His career high in points came two seasons ago in New York when he averaged 11.3 points per game in the 2022-23 season.

Grimes is someone who will be a young face to Klay Thompson. Grimes will more than likely play the two or three position. Whenever Klay Thompson is off his game, Grimes can make his case to be in the starting lineup.

This can be helpful if Thompson has a bad stretch like he once did last season when he came off the bench for Golden State. However, so far, he's proved the doubters wrong.

Grimes is a weapon that any bench in the NBA would love. While he saw very limited time during his short tenure in Detroit, he looks to be a solid asset where he can be capable of shooting outside shots at a very high clip. In his career year in New York, he shot 38.6 percent from downtown.

Grimes is familiar with being a full-time member in a starting lineup. He started 66 of 71 games during his time in New York in the 2022-23 season. It's possible he can get hot in a blink. If he does that, it would be tough for the coaching staff to deny him a spot in the starting lineup.

Grimes will have to be someone who will be looked at as a guy to play the three as well, but if Thompson is off his game, Grimes will likely be looked at to serve as a starting role.

His defense is also outstanding, and he will likely play a big role right away.