The hottest guard to take the floor Tuesday at Madison Square Garden was Quentin Grimes, the former Knick whose stats have been on steroids since shortly after joining the tanking Philadelphia 76ers in February.

Grimes, the former No. 25 overall pick by the Knicks in 2021, has quickly become one of the NBA’s most prolific scorers, and no one saw it coming.

Playing for head coach Tom Thibodeau is not easy. Many players will back that up, including those on the New York Knicks. He demands copious intensity and minutes from his core veteran players. They might even say it is too much at times.