New York Knicks: 3 Steps for Immanuel Quickley to take next season

How can the New York Knicks’ rookie avoid a sophomore slump?

New York Knicks rookie Immanuel Quickley defied expectations after being picked with the 25th overall selection, easily outplaying his draft position en route to an All-Rookie 2nd Team placement. He earned a consistent rotation spot from Tom Thibodeau which is no easy feat when you consider that the veteran head coach hardly ever plays rookies significant time on the court.

The 21-year old averaged 11.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in just 19.4 minutes per game while shooting 38.9% from three. He was excellent at creating his own shot, often weaving in between defenders to launch a floater or drawing fouls at an amazing rate by rookie standards.

Quickley may be coming off the bench once again next season, but he showed that he has the potential to be a great starting point guard in the NBA. Next year will be the time for him to start building on that potential. Given his impressive work ethic, it seems like that’s going to be the case.

It was recently announced that Quickley would be a part of the United States Select Team, meaning that he and 16 other young players would be practicing with the U.S. Men’s Olympic Team in Las Vegas. This should be a great experience for the former Kentucky standout to compete and practice against superstars such as Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, and Bradley Beal.

While Quickley excelled in many areas that rookies typically struggle in, there were still certain aspects of his game that need to be refined. Here are the areas where he has room to improve.