There are plenty of NY Knicks‘ players who analysts can highlight as key components of the team’s recent success, and one of the most essential pieces has been rookie Immanuel Quickley.
After being drafted 23rd overall in the 2020 NBA draft, expectations for Quickley were obviously tempered. While most of the focus was centered on the NY Knicks’ other draft pick, Obi Toppin, it’s been Quickley who has already cemented himself as a big part of the team’s future. ESPN columnist and statistician John Hollinger recently released his rookie rankings where he had Immanuel Quickley as the 2nd best rookie in the NBA, trailing only the Charlotte Hornets’ LaMelo Ball.
It’s been a feeling that’s largely unfamiliar for Knicks fans: Having a rookie, specifically a rookie guard who already looks like they will be a prominent player in the NBA for years to come. In a league where almost every team has had a young, starting-caliber guard to build around, the Knicks have zigged while others zagged.
Now here we are in 2021, and instead of an influx of power forwards and “project” draft picks, the Knicks are playing winning basketball while simultaneously getting big performances out of their young players. Immanuel Quickley’s road to success hasn’t been without bumps, so let’s look at how the NY Knicks’ rookie has emerged as one of the league’s brightest young stars.
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.
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.
The Sky Is The Limit For NY Knicks’ Immanuel Quickley
There will be some who will point out Immanuel Quickley’s low 38.9% field goal percentage and make a negative assumption based on it. It’s a classic example of a traditional stat not telling the whole story.
There is no question that Quickley will play a little too much hero-ball and force up some difficult shots, but he’s given every indication that some of those shots will start falling in the future.
Looking at John Hollinger’s famous PER (Player Efficiency Rating) metric, Quickley jumps off the page. Quickley’s PER of 18.27 is 2nd among all rookies, once again trailing just LaMelo Ball. It’s an all-encompassing metric that “Sums up all a player’s positive accomplishments, subtracts the negative accomplishments, and returns a per-minute rating of a player’s performance.”
Just like any rookie, Immanuel Quickley still has a lot to learn and improve on. Even if someone wants to point out his spotty defense, it hasn’t been anywhere close to a consistently negative impact on the team. Opposing teams’ effective field goal percentage is actually .6% lower when Quickley is on the court.
His influence on the entire team seems to always be a net-positive, and he’s been the reason for some of the Knicks’ wins this year. Who knows how what kind of numbers Quickley could put up should he gain more consistent playing time in the 2nd half of the season. At this point, Quickley coming off of the bench isn’t a problem – It’s actually a role that seems to suit both him and the team quite nicely. However, Quickley should absolutely be playing a consistent 20-30 minutes every-game. Let your star rookie play through mistakes.
The NY Knicks now have a rookie who is catching the eyes of scouts, executives, and players all across the league. Even with his limited minutes, it will come to no one’s surprise if he finishes this season on the All-Rookie First Team.
What’s even more exciting is to think about is the player he has yet to become. Immanuel Quickley’s confidence at such an early stage of his career is something that can’t be taught. He makes his teammates better, and he wants the ball in pressure situations. He’s a star in the making.