NY Knicks: 3 reasons why Immanuel Quickley should be the starting point guard

No questions about it, Immanuel Quickley and the New York Knicks have had their ups and downs this year. And as the regular season is coming to an end, the organization is faced with what seems to be the annual question of, where and how does the Knicks get their franchise point guard?

People are making cases for Jalen Brunson to come to The Big Apple, or drafting a rookie who can run the show, and some are even pushing to trade for a star like Donovan Mitchell.

All of those are certainly viable options, but what if the team already has their franchise point guard on the roster? Yes, I’m making the case for Quickley to be New York’s starting point guard.

Immanuel Quickley is the New York Knicks point guard of the future.

The second-year guard out of Kentucky has shown that he can be the playmaking facilitator at times when given the opportunity. Tom Thibodeau, I’m looking at you. His shot-making capability, a keen eye for an alley-oop lob, and his intelligence to get to the foul line are all attributes of a successful modern-day point guard.

As mentioned, a popular free agent name people have been associating with New York is Brunson. He’s a young, solid point guard in this league, no doubt. As I was pondering the thought of Quickley starting at point guard, I did some research comparing the two.

Looking back at the last 14 games for both players, I found some interesting statistics. Quickley is averaging 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. Brunson on the other hand is averaging 17.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.

Very, very similar stats, except one player is on the Knicks and the other could command a contract roughly worth $80 million.

Now, I’m not saying that Quickley is the better player today because Brunson has that edge for sure, but rather than taking a risk, I believe that Quickley deserves a shot at the starter role.

Let’s take a look at a few instances where Quickley has shown that he can be the starting point guard.

3: His vision

Like I said before, Quickley’s ability to throw the lob pass is top tier. Whether it’s to Obi Toppin, Mitchell Robinson, or Jericho Sims, Quickley’s sure to find them.

He clearly has the vision and there’s a reason why “point guard” Alec Burks isn’t throwing these passes, hence the 2.9 assists per game average.

I mean, just look at this clip. Quickley’s near halfcourt and threw this pass right on the money to Toppin.

Not only are alley-oop passes easy ways to score, but they ignite the whole team and crowd with energy.