Knicks: 3 reasons to believe Immanuel Quickley is legit
3) Reasons to believe in Immanuel Quickley: Playmaking
I have been most impressed by Immanuel Quickley’s playmaking abilities in the preseason. While he is far from a polished point guard, his unselfish play opens up opportunities for him to grow in this area.
Simply by being a threat to shoot from the perimeter, opposing teams need to compensate for that, whether it’s trapping him off screens or cheating toward him on the weakside. This allows him to find teammates for open shots as he takes advantage of the defense respecting his range.
Thibs wants to improve against traps. Here’s an example of the first pass creating an open look for Obi
— JB (@JeffreyBellone) December 15, 2020
“We were unwilling to get the ball out of the trap quickly and make the second pass which would have gotten us a wide open shot.”
More via @IanBegley: https://t.co/aO6xPIg5zi pic.twitter.com/jdI3K5TKEi
Quickley is probably best creating for others in transition when he can react within the flow of the game. We have seen him several times turn a transition play into easy points around the basket or a pull-up three by a trailing teammate.
The Kentucky guard is also sneaky with his dribble, changing pace, keeping it live, giving himself plenty of chances to make a play for himself or others. How many times have we heard Clyde talk about keeping your dribble? The Hall-of-Fame Knick must be happy with what he has seen from Quickley so far.
Next. 4 make or break players this season. dark
It’s way, way to early to anoint Immanuel Quickley the surprise of the draft, but there is definitely promise in the things he has shown during the preseason.