The Definitive New York Knicks Roster Breakdown: The Backcourt
By Adam Kester
New York Knicks Backcourt: Immanuel Quickley
If you ask any coach or player around the league what their thoughts are Immanuel Quickley, you won’t get a generic, “he’s young, he could be good” response. Instead, you’ll be met with smiles, people blowing raspberries with their lips, and more “You don’t need me to tell you how good that kid is” responses.
The analytics crowd loves him.
The anti-analytics crowd loves him.
Immanuel Quickley pops as a potential star in the making.
What We Know
A ridiculous shooter. One of those shooters that makes the NBA 3-point line distance look like the distance from your desk to the trash can.
Shooting is always the first thing that comes up when talking about Immanuel Quickley’s game but there’s so much more.
Quickley is growing as an NBA combo guard. He has a knack for find and creating space, something that takes many guards years to figure out in the league. He’s still finding his way to consistency but he is not just a gifted player, he is a grinder. He’s a hard worker.
We saw Quickley excel alongside Derrick Rose last season as a spark-plug off the bench. He may be in for an expanded role this season.
What To Expect
In terms of his base role with the team and his playing time, I think it’s safe to say that it will at least be similar to last season.
Quickley will continue to come off of the bench and be a part of the New York Knicks lethal backcourt rotation.
The Knicks have a few primary ball-handlers now. Between Walker, Rose, Fournier, and even Burks, there isn’t pressure for Immanuel Quickley to always be an initiator on offense. He can thrive playing off-ball.
Even with his role being limited on a fully healthy Knicks roster, we’re going to get to see some stretches where Quickley takes on a larger role.
Any time Derrick Rose or Kemba Walker miss a game, I fully expect Quickley to be the one who becomes the 2nd point guard.
Last season, we actually saw Alec Burks take on this “emergency point guard” role whenever injuries hit the team. Given Quickley’s performance in the Summer League and his growing trust with coach Thibs, I think this is a role that he will now undertake.
Rotations aren’t set in stone. Different roles pop up throughout the season. It’s like your fantasy football team — the team you drafted will not be your team a few weeks into the season due to unexpected circumstances.
Once you shed the conventional point guard role requirements, you really see how good Quickley can be for the New York Knicks. His skillset is unique.
It’s not as slow and deliberate as the conventional point guard. He almost skips around the perimeter like the floor is lava. There’s an excited anticipation that he’s going to pull a 3-point shot every time he has the ball on the perimeter, and that anticipation keeps defenders on their toes.
Don’t expect a tremendous statistical leap, but expect the star power to shine even brighter with a few 30-point AND 20-10 games from Quickley this season.