NY Knicks: Immanuel Quickley shines — what is his potential?

NY Knicks: Can Immanuel Quickley grow into an All-Star?

Prediciting a career trajectory for anyone is tough. It’s especially tough for a young player who isn’t really guaranteed starter-level minutes in the NBA as of now.

What we can be confident in his scoring, especialy off-ball. He’s going to be a lights out shooter for years to come.

His dribbling isn’t quite as tight and finessed as some other guards, but we’ve seen players compensate for that with long strides, crafty hesitations, and other nuances of ball-handling. I believe as he continues to grow, like so many guards before him, he can be that guard who can average around 4-6 assists per game with heavy minutes.

If the NY Knicks had a gutted roster and Immanuel Quickley was a starting guard playing 30-35 minutes per game, he’d be averaging around 18 points or more per game. No doubt in my mind.

You could write a laundry list of areas he could still improve because, well, he’s only going into his sophomore season.

Whether it’s developing different shots, getting comfortable with more screens and angles, creating more space with different dribble combos, Immanuel Quickley will get better with experience and repitition.

Being a guard in the NBA isn’t easy, and it takes some time for a lot of players to maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. The best players are adding new elements to their game at age 30.

If I’m to think of some high-end comparisons for what I believe Immanuel Quickley can grow into, I do tend to lean towards some 2-guards who have nice playmaking skills, or guys who took leaps in their playmaking later in their careers.

If I’m to list guys who Quickley has “shades of”, I think of CJ McCollum, Eric Gordon, Kyle Lowry, Lou Williams, Darius Garland, or go back even further to guys like Jason Terry or Mo Williams.

At the end of the day, there’s just one Immanuel Quickley. He’s already gained plenty of attention from star players around the league.

At the end of the day, whether he’s a “point guard” doesn’t really matter. You stick him on the perimeter and you let him have the positive impact that he had all throughout his rookie season.

With Derrick Rose, Kemba Walker, and Alec Burks on the roster, it’s safe to expect Quickley will have a similar role to what he had last year with the NY Knicks. The true “breakout” may have to wait, but don’t worry, this kid has a long career ahead of him. Immanuel Quickley is just getting started.