Coming off one of the better games of his young NBA career Monday night, Quentin Grimes returned to the gym on Tuesday afternoon and got back to work.
It’s a large part of why the Knicks rookie guard has been able not only to crack coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotation, but also to stay in it with a growing role as the season progresses.
“He comes in every day and works his butt off,” teammate RJ Barrett said Tuesday. “He’s always high energy, focused and he really takes the game seriously.”
Grimes credited his dad, Marshall, for that characteristic. After chipping in 14 points, four rebounds and three steals in the Knicks’ win over the Kings on Monday, Grimes said his father was the one who got him to buy into making the most of practices.
“He always told me that no matter if you’re playing or you’re not playing … you gotta treat every practice like it’s a game because you’re ultimately preparing yourself for the game,” Grimes said. “If I’m BSing in practice, that’s not going to help me in the game, especially as a rookie.”
In addition to sharp shooting from beyond the arc — he is hitting 40.3 percent from 3 — Grimes has made his impact felt on defense, a sure-fire way to get more minutes under Thibodeau.
The Knicks have just four games left until the Feb. 10 trade deadline, and though a shakeup could be coming for the underperforming roster, Julius Randle steered clear of opining on whether one was needed.
“I trust Leon and Wes and Scott,” Randle said of the Knicks braintrust — president Leon Rose, senior adviser William Wesley and general manager Scott Perry. “That’s their job and I’m sure they’ll make the best decisions for our team.”
Thibodeau echoed Randle when asked what the Knicks’ approach would be heading into the deadline.
“Very rarely does anything happen,” Thibodeau said. “You could talk about 100 trades and one might get done. But that’s part of the game and you try to block it out and concentrate on what’s in front of you.”
Obi Toppin will compete in the Slam Dunk Contest for a second straight year, The Post’s Marc Berman reported. Toppin finished as the runner-up in last year’s competition.
The Garden crowd chanted for Cam Reddish on Monday night during garbage time, but Thibodeau said Tuesday the intriguing wing is still going through the process of earning his playing time.
“He’s been great with the early group and working in practice and that sort of thing. Right now, that’s the first step,” Thibodeau said. “Any time you get traded in the middle of the season, that’s it. When his opportunity comes, it’s about performance. He’s gotta earn everything he’s going to get.”
The Knicks assigned rookies Miles McBride and Jericho Sims to G-League Westchester ahead of its game Tuesday night.