Does Knicks’ Immanuel Quickley have a legit case to make an All-Defensive Team?

While most people are finally giving Immanuel Quickley the recognition he deserves in the Sixth Man of the Year award, some have begun to question whether or not Quickley could earn an All-Defensive nod this season.

We all know how incredible Quickley has been on defense this season, potentially even deserving of the aforementioned All-Defensive team selection. However, it’s incredibly hard to believe that the mainstream media will see Quickley as fitting for this recognition.

Regardless, most Knicks fans know just how great he has been on that side of the ball. Quickley could very well make his first All-Defensive team this season.

Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley is deserving of an All-Defensive selection

This original thought came from a couple of tweets made by NBA Youtuber AlexHoops, who went on a bit of a tangent about how Immanuel Quickley is absolutely deserving of this praise.

Quickley has been one of the most important players on the Knicks this season due to the defensive value he brings to the floor. Not only has he been the team’s best perimeter defender all season, but the versatility on the perimeter he brings for his size is special.

A lot of the time we see guards with a similar size and stature to Quickley strugglebecauset they simply aren’t big enough to manage guarding players bigger than them. However, this is something Quickley has not only not dealt with but has excelled at this season.

On paper, Quickley may not pop out as a defender like Marcus Smart or Jrue Holiday, but the value he brings to the Knicks on defense is what should help give him the All-Defensive nod he deserves.

Quite literally, the Knicks are an elite defensive squad with him on the floor and a bad one without him. This sort of impact from a six-foot-two guard is nearly unheard of. Even outside of advanced stats, which not everyone is a fan of, watching Quickley also puts his defensive value into perspective.

The main thing that will hold Quickley back from potentially making an All-Defensive team is the fact that both his counting stats and certain advanced stats aren’t as eye-catching as you’d think. However, this has more to do with the advanced metrics not favoring guards of his size more than anything.

These numbers will further put into perspective how good Immanuel Quickley has been defensively

According to Synergysports.com, Quickley allows the third-fewest points per possession on spot-up attempts out of anyone who has guarded 200+ of these shot attempts at 0.87 points per possession (PPP). A large part of this has to do with how switch-heavy the Knicks’ defense is and how fast Quickley is on his feet.

These tools, alongside his overall defensive IQ (pun intended), allow him to move all over the floor defensively without much effort and help make him so valuable on that end.

Alongside this, Quickley has also allowed the 15th fewest points per possession from pick-and-roll ball handlers out of anyone who has guarded 200+ of these possessions with 0.82 PPP. This is because of, again, the speed and IQ that he brings to the floor. He reads pick and rolls better than anyone else on the Knicks and with how often the play is run, it’s a good trait to have.

The clip below does a tremendous job at showcasing both of these defensive traits that make him so special and is something he has done all season long.

While the national media and voters may not recognize Quickley as the special and impactful defender he is, we know deep down that Quickley is 1,000% deserving of an All-Defensive nod whether it’s the first or second team.

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