Knicks: 3 reasons to believe Immanuel Quickley is legit

Immanuel QuickleyCredit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Immanuel QuickleyCredit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 3, 2020; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Immanuel Quickley (5) dribbles the ball against Tennessee Volunteers forward John Fulkerson (10) in the first half at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /

2) Reasons to believe in Immanuel Quickley: His floater

Knicks fans are quickly (no pun intended) learning that Immanuel Quickley has a pretty good floater, which he has featured in several preseason games, most notably, in New York’s blowout win over Cleveland this past week.

After the game, Quickley even mentioned the Synergy stats from college that should have made it obvious to anyone paying attention that this is a strength in his game.

During his sophomore season, Quickley scored 0.94 points per possession with his floater, which ranked him in the top 81st percentile in college basketball. Combined with his lethal outside shooting, he is able to keep defenders on their toes as he pump fakes, drives, and either draws contact to get to the free throw line, or pulls up short and converts using his floater.

You can see examples in the video above. As help defenders take an extra step forward to defend against his runner, it allows him the ability to set-up his teammates over the top in alley-oop plays.

While the mid-range game has been weeded out of the NBA, it doesn’t mean it can’t still be part of a player’s game when they are efficient and use it to open up other areas of the court.