The New York Knicks passed on utilizing their lottery pick on a point guard, but they might have found a solution in Kentucky shooter Immanuel Quickley.
Quickley spent two seasons with Kentucky in the SEC, averaging 5.2 points in his freshman season. However, his second year saw him blossom into an entirely different player, capable of shooting from all positions on the floor and connecting efficiently. He averaged 16.1 points per game, 1.9 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and a .417 field-goal percentage.
The Knicks enjoyed their first preseason game against the Detroit Pistons a few days ago, but Quickley didn’t even see the floor.
The New York Knicks saw a flash of Quickley’s potential:
In game two against Detroit, a 99-91 loss, Quickley enjoyed nine minutes, connecting on one of 3 field-goal attempts and missed his only three-point shot. However, fast forward to Wednesday night’s win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the rookie made a significant impact. Over 25 minutes, he only connected on 3 of 11 attempts from the floor, but he earned a +/- +19. His most interesting statistics was his assist numbers, as he posted seven. He actually was more efficient than Elfrid Payton, the assumed starter for the Knicks this year.
Quickly’s defense also stood out to head coach Tom Thibodeau, who is looking to deploy an aggressive team that suffocates opponents.
“We got going off our defense and I thought Quick was terrific,†Tom Thibodeau said. “(His) ball pressure, the fact that he can shoot the way he can, it opens up the floor.â€
Quickly was a projected point guard in the draft, but the Knicks saw him as a shooting guard with back-up potential at PG. However, after his impressive performance against Cleveland, there could be a future for him post-Payton, who is on a one-year, $5 million deal.
“Coming in, I was trying to tell all the NBA teams that I’m somebody who just happened to play off the ball at Kentucky that one year, my sophomore year,†Quickley said. “I can really do both (play on and off the ball).â€
While the sample size is still small for Immanuel, his assist numbers are extremely encouraging and warrant some optimism heading into the future. The Knicks only have one preseason game left until the regular season commences, and the youngsters on the roster have begun to show their colors. If Obi Toppin and Quickley emerge as regular starters, the new management will look like geniuses as Thibodeau plans on utilizing the best players available despite the need for rookie development.