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New York Knicks: 4 bench players who have thrived this season

By Zachary Bachar

Jan 8, 2021; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks' Kevin Knox II (20) drives to the basket during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Friday, Jan. 8, 2021, in New York. The Thunder defeated the Knicks 101-89 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Seth Wenig/POOL PHOTOS-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 8, 2021; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks' Kevin Knox II (20) drives to the basket during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Friday, Jan. 8, 2021, in New York. The Thunder defeated the Knicks 101-89 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Seth Wenig/POOL PHOTOS-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 10, 2021; New York, New York, USA; Facundo Campazzo #7 of the Denver Nuggets tries to steal the ball from Immanuel Quickley #5 of the New York Knicks in the first half at Madison Square Garden on January 10, 2021 in New York City. Mandatory Credit: Elsa/Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports /

Immanuel Quickley

The 25th pick in the 2020 draft has been on the court for a total of just 111 minutes this season but fans are already salivating over his potential. It isn’t hard to see why, either.

He’s shown a brisk shooting motion that he can utilize both off the dribble and on passes from teammates. When he gets into the paint, his preferred scoring method is a smooth floater that he patented in college.

While he has struggled in the past few games, he is learning to adjust to the NBA while recovering from a hip injury that he sustained in the first game of the season. He’ll almost certainly see an increase in minutes and efficiency as the year goes on.

Perhaps the most promising aspect of his game is his ability to draw fouls. Referees tend to swallow their whistles when it comes to rookies, but Quickley has displayed a knack for getting to the free-throw line.

He’s currently averaging 5.2 free throw attempts per 36 minutes. His floor-foul percentage ranks in the top 100th percentile of the league, per Cleaning the Glass. He is also above league average in drawing shooting fouls.

His 16 points against the Atlanta Hawks played a huge part in the team’s comeback win.

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