Knicks defeat Rockets: Immanuel Quickley receiving high praise around the NBA

The Knicks defeated the Houston Rockets on Saturday night in a game that the Knicks led throughout. The team has now had back-to-back comfortable wins, and a lot of that has to do with the newly revamped bench.

Since Derrick Rose’s arrival, the Knicks’ second unit has been a force to be reckoned with. Rose’s impact as a speedy scorer has provided an important offensive punch that the 2nd unit desperately needed.

The Rockets trailed throughout the game, and even when they inched close in the third quarter, the Knicks and their 2nd unit were able to pour in some timely buckets to maintain the lead. It’s become a recurring theme for the Knicks’ bench to leave their mark on the game.

Now that the Knicks’ opponents have to face Derrick Rose off of the bench, it’s given their prized rookie, Immanuel Quickley, even more space to work with. Quickley has flourished alongside Rose.

The Houston Rockets had no answer for the tandem, as Rose finished with 16 points and was a +18 on the court, while Quickley finished with 22 points and was a +17. Quickley is starting to garner attention from around the NBA.

Knicks’ Immanuel Quickley is catching the attention of the league

The connection between Rose and Quickley started when Rose first arrived with the team. Rose had dinner with both Knicks’ rookies Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin before the team’s game in Miami earlier in the week.

Rose wanted to make sure the rookies felt comfortable approaching him with any questions they had. Now, Rose has gotten to play alongside Quickley in three games, and he’s been impressed. Rose talked about Quickley after the team’s first game in Miami and said,

"“He’s a dog. He’s a dog. I can’t explain it. You’ve got to be a player to understand it. We’re in a fight, I know he’s fighting.”"

It’s not just Knicks players who have been impressed by Quickley — Stars around the league have expressed words similar to Rose’s.  Quickley’s game goes beyond the stats or his strengths and weakness — A lot of the respect he’s garnered has come from his attitude on the court.

As Rose said, “He’s a dog”. Quickley’s fearless attitude is infectious and it’s rubbed off on his teammates. It’s a type of confidence that a lot of rookies, regardless of their talent level, don’t have in their first season.

Quickley said in his post-game interview that he had the opportunity to speak with John Wall after the game. Quickley said Wall told him to “Keep working, work on getting better every day.”

Quickley has known John Wall for a few years now from his time at Kentucky and said he’s helped him out with his game before.

When the Knicks played the Blazers just a few weeks ago, Quickley said he received texts from star point guard Damian Lillard, who gave him some tips on his game.

There have been some great performances from Knicks rookies in the recent past — Both RJ Barrett and Kevin Knox have had some 20+ point games in their rookie years. It feels different with Quickley.

RJ Barrett is still a terrific prospect who has plenty of potential, but many of his best performances have come with a ton of volume — Something Quickley simply doesn’t need to take over a game. Quickley’s confidence and shot creation are something we haven’t seen in a Knicks’ player since Carmelo Anthony.

Really, who was the last Knicks guard who could shoot and score off the dribble as well as Quickley? Nate Robinson? Stephon Marbury? Raymond Felton?

The dominant play, 3-level scoring, and swagger have not only helped the Knicks look like a playoff team but it’s gotten the attention of players and coaches around the league. Immanuel Quickley has been instrumental in getting the New York Knicks back on the map.