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Knicks Preseason Profile: Immanuel Quickley Has a Path to Impact

Immanuel Quickley has started to carve a role for himself amongst the Knicks' crowded bench, which features several competitive veterans.

Geoff Magliocchetti

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Constantly bereft of reasons to tell their endless list of doubters "I told you so," New York Knicks fans hold Immanuel Quickley in high esteem. 

The Knicks trading for Quickley was lampooned on draft night in 2020's first round but his contributions off the bench have assured him at least some form of NBA future. Quickley has been one of the most consistent representatives in the New York lineup, missing only six games in his first two seasons. Such durability is impressive as is, but the fact that Quickley has convinced head coach Tom Thibodeau to entrust him with big minutes in a lineup populated by several veterans. 

What sort of niche has Quickley created and what's next for his New York future? We investigate ... 

2021-22 Season Review

Quickley's increased exposure (averaging nearly four minutes more than the 19.1 earned in his rookie season) was partly brought about by injuries to Derrick Rose and the since-departed Kemba Walker. 

While Quickley's accuracy and shot selection left something to be desired (shooting 39 percent from the field over his first two seasons), he's starting to establish himself as a reliable, insightful passer. Over 36 minutes and 100 possessions, Quickley was second on the team in assists per game, behind only Rose's abbreviated affairs. 

"He wants to pass the ball and allow other people to get off," teammate Obi Toppin said of how Quickley separates himself from his contemporaries. "That’s one of the biggest things. He pushes everybody every single day."

Quickley also started to develop a solid rebounding game later in the year: over the Knicks' final five games, Quickley averaged 7.2 boards, a stretch that included his first career triple-doubles (becoming the second-youngest Knick to ever earn one). His full sophomore season efforts were enough to pick up a handful of Sixth Man of the Year votes. 

"Anytime you get the guard rebounding like that, that allows you to get out into the open floor and run," Thibodeau said after Quickley's first such posting, a blowout win over Orlando in April. "I want him to continue to do that."

2022-23 Season Preview

Can Quickley continue to leave an impression on the Knicks' lineup? The Knicks didn't appear willing to thrust him into their point guard of the future role based on their offseason endeavors.

Things undoubtedly got a little more difficult for Quickley to leave a lasting impression on the Knicks' lineup: a lean, clean Rose is making his return to the lineup while little more needs to be written on the big deal the Knicks just sent Jalen Brunson's way. There also appears to be a bigger role for Quentin Grimes on the horizon, as the Summer League standout was kept far away from the ultimately futile Donovan Mitchell discussions. 

To his credit, Quickley has established a firm objective for the road ahead, one that shows he's aware of his box score shortcomings and one that should keep his minutes at a steady pace.

“I want to be able to shoot over 40 percent,” he said. “Knowing what I can do, always having that in the back of your mind, you always get a lot of confidence from game results, so I feel like that helps out a lot." 

Alas for Quickley, things got off to a rocky start in that regard: while he carried on his playmaking abilities during the preseason (notably feeding Obi Toppin the ball on a showstopping slam that raised Madison Square Garden to regular season decibels), he shot only 34 percent from the field, a number partly weighed down by a 4-of-18 outing in the Knicks' lone exhibition loss in Indianapolis. 

Knicks Preseason Profiles

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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Geoff Magliocchetti
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI

Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks

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