Young playoff stars should awaken Knicks on Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin’s potential

The Knicks have a dynamic guard in Immanuel Quickley

We saw Quickley take a big leap in his game in the latter half of his sophomore season. While IQ spent most of the year in a reserve role, there are a few different numbers to showcase how impactful he was when given a more significant opportunity.

When he started this past season, he averaged 22.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.3 assists, although that was just across three games. In 18 games this season where he played 27+ minutes, he averaged 18.3 points, 5.6 assists, and 5.6 rebounds. New York went 11-8 in those games. The numbers are there.

The Knicks, as a team, have some veterans they rely on to play heavy minutes. Players who are under big contracts such as Julius Randle and Evan Fournier are key parts of the team. Yet within the team’s backcourt, the rotation soon became a mess when Derrick Rose went down with an injury and Kemba Walker was sidelined.

Yet somehow, it took until almost the very end of the year for Quickley to cement himself into a big role. Even the biggest Tom Thibodeau supporters would have to admit that this was maybe his biggest blunder this year.

The “Is Immanuel Quickley a point guard?” debate was at the center of the discussions around his playing time. I tend to believe Quickley can play point guard in this league. There are plenty of “score first” guards who handle their team’s point guard position.

Getting to the rim is maybe the biggest weakness in Quickley’s game. While he can improve in that area, it’s hard for me to see him becoming an elite penetrator with the ball in his hands. Even still, there are plenty of these combo-guard types who do most of their passing and scoring away from the basket that thrive in today’s NBA.

Typically, those guards play alongside playmaking wings and frontcourt players — which the Knicks have in RJ Barrett, Randle, and (to an extent) Fournier. Both the fit and the role is right there for Quickley. He played point guard for almost his entire career up until college, so he has those instincts.

His shooting, playmaking, and perimeter defense can make New York’s starting unit better. Unless there is a significant signing in the team’s backcourt, there really shouldn’t be much in the way of Quickley getting consistent minutes and being able to put up those exact numbers we saw last season when given the chance.