NY Knicks: Immanuel Quickley sky-rockets up the NBA’s rookie rankings
By Adam Kester
NY Knicks: Immanuel Quickley’s advanced skillset
A lot of the question marks around Immanuel Quickley entering the league were centered around his position. Quickley is somewhat of a “Tweener” guard – He has a slender build and stands 6’3, and wasn’t asked to take on much playmaking duty while at Kentucky. A little undersized for the 2-guard spot, and a little one-dimensional to be a point guard. Turns out his limitations in college were more scheme-related as opposed to being an actual deficiency of him as a player.
The question has gone from “Can he be a playmaker?” to “Is he the point guard of the future?”. Now, labeling Quickley as the Knicks’ point guard of the future is probably premature, but even if that is not his destiny, that doesn’t mean he won’t have multiple paths to NBA stardom.
Quickley’s game is well equipped for the modern NBA, and it’s why he’s thrived in the league so early in his career. What’s consistent with Quickley’s game is the ability to create space – It may sound simple or vague, but creating space with the ball in your hands is not something many rookies know how to do against stronger and more experienced NBA defenders.
Quickley uses his long strides, quick changes of speeds, and herky-jerky hesitations to constantly keep defenders on their toes. His understanding of when to go fast and when to slow things down makes it incredibly hard to stay in front of him as a defender. Quickley can smoothly operate pick and rolls, keep defenders at his hip, and shake them off with ease. Floater-cheese, or the step-back 3-piece chicken combo? Pick your poison.
Quickley ranks in the 97th percentile of all guards when it comes to drawing non-shooting fouls. Defenders have had a lot of trouble navigating Quickley as he moves around the court, and if he’s already this advanced in his feel for the game, imagine just how high his ceiling could be.