NY Knicks: Could Immanuel Quickley start in Game 2?

NY Knicks: Immanuel Quickley can seamlessly fit in with the starters

The role the Knicks would be asking Quickley to step into isn’t one where he’s the center of the playmaking hub – that’s Julius Randle.

Still, Quickley can be more than someone who just brings the ball up the court. We know how big of a catch-and-shoot threat he is.

Quickley is a shot creator, and we’ve seen him shoot plenty of difficult jumpers from creating offense on his own. Can you imagine him as one of the catch-and-shoot snipers the Knicks love to deploy around Randle?

RJ Barrett, Bullock, and Quickley running around the perimeter to start the game?

Immanuel Quickley shoots 46.6% on catch-and-shoot 3s. It’s why I’m so bullish about his potential as a high-level NBA scorer: He’s a much better shooter than what his traditional shooting splits may look like.

Having Immanuel Quickley running with the starters at the beginning of the halves will give the halfcourt offense even more room to breathe, something they don’t have with Payton, who is a nonfactor as a floor-spacer.

He’s a rookie, but he’s not just any rookie. If we’re going off of who looked the most composed and ready for the intense MSG environment, Quickley’s name is in the conversation. He looked like a playoff veteran.

Quickley took what the defense gave him, put up smart shots, dished out 3 assists, and brought a ton of energy that became a big reason for the NY Knicks climbing back into the game in the 2nd quarter.

Can he stop Trae Young?

There’s no “Trae Young stopper”. Still, the Knicks can do a much better job at making life difficult more difficult for the Hawks’ point guard, both on offense and defense.

Quickley doesn’t have any sort of “shutdown defender” moniker attached to his name but with his lateral quickness and 6’8 wingspan, he can be a lot more bothersome of a defender than Elfrid Payton.

Not to mention, having Quickley in to start the game puts even more pressure on Young as a defender. He can be exposed on that end of the floor.

While the case for Elfrid Payton to be the starter is nonexistent, there are certainly arguments as to why Derrick Rose should get the role, or even why Frank Ntilikina could step into the starting slot.

I believe that right now, Quickley would fit into the starting lineup more seamlessly than anyone else on the Knicks without disrupting the rest of the rotation.