Late in the second overtime of an early March road victory against the Boston Celtics, Immanuel Quickley paused, thoughts buzzing through his head, and sized up Grant Williams. Despite star point guard Jalen Brunson sidelined with an injury, Quickley’s New York Knicks clung to a 126-123 lead with under three minutes remaining. He shuffled side to side briefly, spotted an angle, crouched low, and zipped inside to flick a finish high off the backboard.
A few minutes later, New York had earned a ninth consecutive victory. Quickley played 55 of a possible 58 minutes. He scored 38 points on 15-for-28 shooting, added eight boards, seven dimes, four takeaways, and two swats. Without Brunson in the fold, the spindly, slippery guard boogied his way to a monstrous performance and helped mitigate the absence of a vital starter.
In his third season, Quickley’s emerged as a rising star. He’s one of the foremost players on the fifth-seeded Knicks, averaging 14.6 points (57.7 percent true shooting), 4.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists, while shooting 36.7 percent beyond the arc. Following a slow first two months, he’s been especially terrific, averaging 17.7 points (61 percent true shooting), 4.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, all while burying 39.4 percent of his long balls.
Quickley is Mr. Malleable for these Knicks. He’s played 79 of their 80 games, is fourth in total minutes behind a trio of full-time starters, seamlessly rotates between a starting and reserve gig, and dons various hats offensively and defensively.
Over his first two seasons, the former Kentucky Wildcat drilled 36.5 percent of his triples, nearly identical to his 2022-23 clip. The problem, however, was his escapades inside the arc. He shot 42.6 percent on two-pointers. His finishing and lack of downhill juice were particularly cumbersome, rendering him a rigid and inefficient scorer. This year, he’s netting 52.4 percent of his twos.
As a rookie, he converted 56 percent of his shots at the rim (33rd percentile among combo guards, per Cleaning The Glass) and just eight percent of his shots occurred there (second percentile). Two seasons later, he’s scoring on 68 percent of his trips to the tin (80th percentile) and his rim frequency has spiked to 17 percent (16th percentile).
He better maintains a live dribble to bob between defenders and slither through driving lanes when they arise, which also helps him avoid sandwiching himself into daunting looks around the hoop. His change of pace is an unpredictable weapon. He’s not just comfortable enduring contact, he relishes chances to dish it out, sprinkling in subtle hip or shoulder bumps toward the body of opponents.
The floater remains a trademark (1.05 points per possession, 81st percentile, per Synergy), but he’s also flourishing from intermediate range in a variety of facets. He pinballs off defenders for space to bury pull-ups, is much improved at snaking screens to lock defenders onto his back/hip, busts out fakes for space, and pirouettes into unencumbered turnaround jumpers. According to Cleaning The Glass, he’s shooting 50 percent from ~4-14 feet (78th percentile). He’s become rather adept at keeping himself a threat even if the speedometer approaches or reaches zero. The paint is no longer a labyrinth with only a floater to guide him.
Quickley’s certainly diversified and expanded his off-ball prowess in year three. Yet he’s able to fit alongside New York’s other creators, Brunson and Julius Randle, because of his proficiency as a secondary cog. Quickley is a sensational shooter and off-ball presence. Relocating across the entire hardwood, he’s a tenacious off-ball mover, pinging from one side to the other or merely drifting around the arc to shake free of an unassuming defender. He springs loose with jab-steps and a jittery cadence, utilizes screens like a perennial All-Star, and capably launches bombs on the move.
Although he’s not slow, his burst isn’t so exceptional that it always counters the shortcomings of his 6’2, 190-pound frame. To compensate for that, Quickley scatters defenses himself or exploits an already scattered defense with his footwork, motion, and shooting credentials. This season, he’s knocking down 38.9 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes and ranks in the 63rd percentile in efficiency off the dribble, per Synergy. His duality broadens his offensive usage and the types of lineups head coach Tom Thibodeau can construct involving him.
“The thing that I like about him is that he can play both with the ball and off the ball. So, we are able to use Josh [Hart] a lot as the point,” Thibodeau said during a media availability. “Quick can play off the ball, so now you can force the shift and it goes to the backside, and you got he and Jules. We can screen for him and there’s things we can do for him. Then, we put him in pick-and-roll and we can take advantage of him that way.”
New York is 11.7 points better defensively with Quickley on the court. Among guards, his plus-1.6 Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus this season ranks 12th. The dude is a very, very high-level defender. He’s not solely a specialist confined to specific on-ball assignments or fooling these metrics with inordinate steal and block production, though the on-off numbers are likely boosted by often replacing lesser defenders, Brunson or RJ Barrett, in lineups.
He’s feisty and impactful on the ball, warps around screens with his pliability and slender frame, and touts the body control of a trapeze artist. His disciplined, high-handed closeouts belie his youthful nature. Blowing up dribble handoffs is a budding staple of his defensive imprint. Before a screen arrives, he positions himself astutely and hugs his man to minimize the ground lost fighting over the pick. Promptly recognizing driving angles, he uses his torso to stifle them. He’s yet to foul out this year, despite his physicality at the point of attack and operating around screens.
Although his 6’8 wingspan may surprise initially, it constantly pops on tape. Whether it’s for steals, deflections, or to merely deter/alter a pass or shot, those limbs are constantly swirling to give the opposition a migraine. Watching him defend is a joy, even more so when he’s playing with any of Hart, Quentin Grimes, and Miles McBride in the backcourt.
For all of Quickley’s exploits in man-to-man coverage, it might not rival his contributions as a helper. He’s always gesturing and communicating, rotates to shut down the ripple effects of a breakdown elsewhere and provides effective nail help, the last of which is a pillar in New York’s no middle defensive philosophy. It is uncanny how he swiftly diagnoses the cause and effect of singular events on a possession and responds correctly. Just like his offensive spoils, his defensive signature is multifaceted, much to the delight of his head coach.
“He can defend on the ball, he can defend off the ball. So, I think the versatility is good. He’s stronger than you think,” Thibodeau said. “He has a great understanding. He has great anticipation. He can think ahead what’s coming. And I think that’s been a big plus for him.”
As the regular season nears its conclusion, award discussions are swelling. Quickley is the odds-on favorite for Sixth Man of the Year. Some of his detractors point to his most fruitful performances occurring as a starter — he’s averaging 20-4-4-1 on 60 percent true shooting in 19 starters and 13-4-3-1 on 57 percent true shooting off the bench. The most crucial aspect in all this, though, is that Quickley, is simply a really, really good basketball player.
Reveling in a career-best campaign, the 23-year-old is paramount to the playoff-bound Knicks’ present and future. On both ends of the court, his services are valuable, wide-ranging and growing. Ahead of an offseason in which he’s extension eligible, all of this should should grant Quickley quite the payday sooner rather than later.
All stats are accurate prior to games on April 7.
