NY Knicks: Immanuel Quickley sky-rockets up the NBA’s rookie rankings
By Adam Kester
NY Knicks: How Immanuel Quickley burst onto the scene
A recent article from Yaron Weitzman of the New York Post gave fans an inside look at the dynamics of some of the NY Knicks’ top decision-makers. Specifically, it shed light on the conversations that led the team to draft Immanuel Quickley. Drafting Quickley was far from a unanimous decision.
In the article, it’s clear that William Wesley was the one banging the table for Quickley. Wesley “Knew that the Boston Celtics, picking at No. 26, had worked out Quickley and come away impressed. He was worried they’d steal his guy. He wanted the Knicks to pounce.” The front office knew the Knicks needed shooting, but I don’t think anyone anticipated Quickley to be such an important player so early in his career.
Immanuel Quickley arrived with the NY Knicks to a muddy rotation of guards. Knicks fans are all too familiar with gross point guard situations, and Quickley was thrown onto a team with Elfrid Payton, Frank Ntilikina, and Dennis Smith Jr.; all of whom had different cases and angles to earn some playing time. That problem, for the most part, seems like a thing of the past.
After playing 12 minutes in the first game of the season, Quickley was inactive for the team’s next 4 games. It really wasn’t until the team’s 12th game of the year (Quickley’s 8th) that he burst onto the scene. Quickley dropped 19, 23, and 17 points in three straight games, and he began to show some shot creation and improvisation that Knicks fans haven’t seen from one of their guards in a long time.
On the surface, Quickley’s impact may just seem like that of a volume scorer, but he’s been so much more than that. Through film study and advanced stats, Quickley’s positive influence on the team has really shined through, and his game has caught the attention of the league.