Immanuel Quickley

Knicks’ Immanuel Quickley details Garden incident as beer showers down on bench

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Immanuel Quickley, New York Knicks

The New York Knicks are currently in the hole three games as they try to claw their way out of a disappointing series against Atlanta Hawks. This is their first playoff appearance since 2013 when Carmelo Anthony was still on the team, and they fell to the Indiana Pacers, courtesy of Paul George.

However, this has been one of the most exciting Knick seasons in recent memory, thanks to All-Star-level play from Julius Randle and the emergence of unexpected talent like Immanuel Quickley and Nerlens Noel. Nonetheless, the postseason is a different beast, and the Knicks are still trying to figure out how to overcome an Atlanta team that seems more aggressive and ready for the moment.

In the meantime, the NBA is going through an interesting string of events as fans return to the stadiums and engage in hostile activity. Ranging from throwing popcorn at Russell Westbrook to a water bottle at Kyrie Irving, The Garden has its fair share of incidents going on behind the scenes.

Rookie Immanuel Quickley detailed a riled up fan throwing beer at the Knicks’ bench:

“[In] Game 2, somebody threw a beer or something, not sure why, not even sure who did it, but it happened,’’ Quickley said. “I guess that’s part of having fans in the game.’’

Quickley is oddly calm about this situation, indicating the fan was just riled up and excited, which played a part in his obvious mistake.

“I’ve seen it happen before, and people are riled up for big games,’’ Quickley said. “I don’t really know what’s going through their head at that moment. I didn’t get a chance to ask them. But they were just riled up and threw a beer.’’

The Knicks have identified the individual and permanently banned him from MSG, along with another fan who spit on Trae Young or attempted to, instead hitting 50 Cent’s girlfriend.

It is very interesting to see the latest string of events and hostile actions taken from fans, as the energy is undoubtedly different after almost a year of watching games from home. People seem to think they are invincible and immune from penalty, but teams around the league are cracking down on fans and starting to showcase consequences. Aside from being permanently banned, a fan over the weekend was arrested for throwing a water bottle at Kyrie Irving and will be sent to trial for assault.

Thibodeau addresses Knicks’ Elf-ant in the room; Ntilikina as Trae stopper?

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Tom Thibodeau may bury struggling Elfrid Payton on the bench during crucial moments of the game, but he will never throw his beleaguered starting point guard under the bus.

The New York Knicks have reached this far, with Thibodeau sticking to his guns with Payton as a starter. But Payton’s role had been reduced to token starts for the Knicks during the home stretch, with his favorite point guard Derrick Rose taking a larger role off the bench.

“The depth of our team is one of our strengths. There are things that Elfrid provides for us that are big assets to our team — his size, his defense,” Thibodeau said on his zoom call with reporters on Wednesday. Those are important factors. And then you look at it in totality. How does the team function?”

The Knicks have won 16 of their last 20 games despite Payton’s offensive woes. Payton hasn’t breached the 20-minute barrier since April 28. His confidence took a hit with only a total of six points in their final six games. He shot at an atrocious 3-for-19 from the floor during that ugly stretch.

“As is the case with most players, there will be ups and downs. You don’t have to shoot well to play well. Just go out there and give us what you can. And every game is different,” said Thibodeau of Payton.

“The thing that I love about our team is if someone’s not doing good, another guy steps in, and if he’s doing good, everyone is cheering for that guy. The most important thing is the team winning. That’s where I want the focus to lie,” he added.

Thibodeau was able to hide Payton’s deficiencies with Rose closing out games and Alec Burks getting back in the groove.

Rose and Burks will figure heavily in the rotation as Thibodeau will rely on their playoff experience. The veteran backcourt duo has a combined 63 playoff games under their belts.

“The things that you can do well, focus on those things. The things that you don’t do well, you stay away from those things. Play with your strengths and cover your weaknesses and do that as a team. And if you do that as a team, the team will have success and that’s what we’re focused on,” Thibodeau said.

Aside from Rose and Burks, Thibodeau may reach deep in his pocket in his bid to slow down Trae Young, who averaged 24.7 points and 12.0 assists in three games against the Knicks this season. Thibodeau admitted he’s been contemplating a lot about utilizing Frank Ntilikina, who’s been out of the rotation for most of the season.

“Frank has been sort of that role as a defensive stopper. He adds great value to our team,” Thibodeau said.

“What you guys don’t see is — he and Kevin Knox and a bunch of other guys who are not in the rotation — how hard they work in practice. We value practice greatly. They’re providing a lot to our team. And whatever their strengths are, we’re gonna try to take advantage of that. And we want them to continue to improve, and that’s an important part of what we’re doing here. All our players are critical.”

If Ntilikina manages to sneak into the rotation, it will be interesting to see how Thibodeau will spread out the minutes.

Will Payton’s minutes get further reduced, or will Ntilikina cut into rookie Immanuel Quickley’s playing time?

Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo

Knicks’ Immanuel Quickley has one secret ingredient to playing well

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New York Knicks, Immanuel Quickley

One of the main reasons the New York Knicks are having such a successful 2021 campaign is rookie Immanuel Quickley, who offers fantastic scoring production off the bench. When Quickley was selected, nobody expected him to be this influential, as CBS gave the pick a D+ at 25. However, the Knicks knew they were getting something special, a hard-working youngster who would stop at nothing to be great.

So far this season, Quickley is averaging 11.7 points, 2.1 assists, and 2.2 rebounds over 19.5 minutes per game. He has a .394 field-goal percentage and is connecting on .387% of his shots from three-point range. He attempts 4.8 shots be on the arc per contest and is hitting nearly 90% of his free-throw attempts, which is absolutely stellar.

Quickley has shown that he has a bright future at the NBA level, already making an impact as a late first-round pick. In fact, the Knicks are still dabbling with the idea that he could be their future point guard, but he might be better suited as a shooting guard paired with a veteran like Derrick Rose. He has far outperformed his fellow rookie Obi Toppin so far this season, but his main ingredient to success is exactly what you would think it would be.

“I always try to go in and play free,” Quickley said. “Having fun is probably the biggest thing I emphasize every time I’m on the floor.”

Having fun is Immanuel’s primary way of developing and enjoying the game of basketball. A lot of players get wrapped up in the monetary aspect or the tangible offerings, but Quickley simply loves the game.

To be the best, you have to captivate an internal flame that keeps you motivated and confident. Quickley has the mentality of Kobe Bryant, heaving up shots after hours to improve his abilities come game time. Even fellow youngster RJ Barrett has noticed his trends and projected motivating words on his influence late in games.

“He’s big time, especially in the fourth,” RJ Barrett said. “He really gave us a good push there, got us a good lead kind of on his own. He got going, we were looking for him and he just continued to deliver.”

The Knicks are developing a strong core of youth players, and after years of poor drafting, it seems as if they finally had a few home runs. Barrett is well on his way to becoming a star player this season paired with Julius Randle, and Quickley is already a complementary benefactor. Hopefully, things continue to progress as they have been, and the front office it will be quite happy with their draft picks the past few years.

Quickley sparks Knicks big win over Bulls, claims solo 4th

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immanuel quickley, rj barrett, new york knicks

Rookie guard Immanuel Quickley caught fire in the fourth quarter as the New York Knicks quickly returned to the win column.

The Knicks (35-28) notched their 10th win in 11 games after taming the Chicago Bulls, 113-94, Wednesday night at the Garden.

It was a big bounce-back win for the Knicks following a slip up against the Phoenix Suns, the second-best team in the West, last Monday. They find themselves all alone again as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference after the Atlanta Hawks fell to the Philadephia 76ers earlier.

They had Quickley to thank for.

The rookie guard dropped 11 quick points in a dizzying 15-2 Knicks run to start of the fourth quarter. The Bulls never recovered.

“We just enjoy playing with each other,” Quickley said. “Everything is clicking. We just want to continue to take the right steps and just try and make a playoff push.”

By the time Quickley went out after picking up his fifth foul, the Knicks had transformed a precarious one-point lead to a dozen, 91-79, with 6:39 left.

The Knicks stepped on the pedal with Nerlens Noel anchoring their interior defense. Reggie Bullock and RJ Barrett hit a pair of dagger threes then Julius Randle brought them home with eight of his game-high 34 points inside the final two minutes.

It was Randle’s seventh 30-point game in their last nine outings.

Randle sat on the bench when the Knicks pulled away in the fourth quarter. But he returned to the floor when the Bulls cut the Knicks lead to nine, 93-84, with 5:36 left.

New York blew hot and cold through the first three quarters before going full throttle in the fourth quarter. The Knicks outscored the Bulls, 37-19, in the final 12 minutes.

With Randle smoking hot in the first half, New York raced to an 18-point lead. But the Knicks let the Bulls hang around to Tom Thibodeau’s chagrin.

Not even a technical foul could calm him down. But it worked as the Knicks responded and turned up the heat when it mattered.

Quickley picked up the slack for Derrick Rose, who had an off night.

The rookie spitfire finished with 13 points off the bench. Rose, who starred in his hometown Chicago as the youngest MVP early in his NBA career, added six points and six assists.

But it wasn’t only Quickley who rose to the occasion. In a typical Knicks fashion this season, there were plenty of heroes.

Noel was all over the court for the Knicks. He countered Nikola Vucevic’s monster game of 26 points and 18 rebounds with a defensive masterclass. Noel collected five shot blocks and four steals along with eight points, eight rebounds, and three assists.

Bullock hit three triples and ended up with 13 points. Barrett was efficient with 22 points on 9-of-15 shots. He also stuffed the stats sheet with seven rebounds, six assists, two steals, and one block.

The win was a fitting sendoff for the Knicks before they embark on a tough six-game West Coast trip beginning on Sunday in Houston.

Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo

 

Knicks’ Immanuel Quickley’s secret to improving his 3-point shooting

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Norvelle Pelle, new york knicks, immanuel quickley

The New York Knicks have taken a Kobe Bryant-like approach to their training this season. While some might have hit the clubs in the past while on the road or in New York, they’ve spent that time training in the gym instead, led by All-Star Julius Randle, who has completely overhauled his approach to the game.

Ultimately, spending a few hours at the gym instead of going out is the difference between winning and losing, as the Knicks are clearly experiencing as they enjoying a game win streak.

They most recently took down the Atlanta Hawks to claim the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference and are preparing to take on the Toronto Raptors on Saturday afternoon. The Raptors are struggling this season but have won their last four games straight, including a big win over the Brooklyn Nets.

However, there is no team that scares the Knicks anymore, as they continue to work hard outside of the game to prepare mentally and physically. One player who has seen a significant improvement and has blown expectations out of the water is rookie Immanuel Quickley.

Quickley scored 20 points against the Hawks, hitting 4-of-6 3-PT attempts and picked up four assists. Without his influence, the Knicks would likely have lost that game, as he hit a few back-to-back long balls to draw the Knicks closer in the fourth quarter as they mounted a comeback. All of this hard work and success is a product of his time in the gym after hours, heaving up shots after games, and spending extra time during practice.

After the win over Atlanta, head coach Tom Thibodeau forced his team to take a blackout day, essentially resting and enjoying their latest success. Quickley, however, was still inclined to make his way to the gym and continue practicing.

“We have like a key-card card, we have 24-hour access,” said Immanuel Quickley, who has worked tirelessly on his 3-point shooting. “Coach says, he may turn off the card because he declared a blackout day. Nobody’s allowed to go into the gym, but I’ll probably still go.”

“A blackout day is an order from Thibs, and he just declared that nobody’s allowed to be really on the court and doing stuff,” Quickley stated after the Knicks beat Atlanta to take the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference. “We got an early game coming up so he declared that nobody’s supposed to come in. But the guys that want to work, will probably still try to come in anyway.”

Even Thibodeau detailed why the team has seen success lately, attesting to the players coming in at night and shooting around during their days off or on film days. Obviously, the commitment needs to be there, and I think they’ve taken a page out of Kobe’s book after internalizing what happened to him. Using his story as motivation is the only way to really fulfill his legacy, and I think the Knicks have embodied the game of basketball as more than just a money maker.

“We’ve put a lot of time into the shooting,” Thibodeau said. “So guys come in at night, or they shoot around on off days or film days. So they’ve made a very serious commitment. I think by working the way they worked, it’s given them confidence. The two biggest things with shooting are confidence and concentration. So, if you make that commitment to put the work in and grow your shot and you have a checklist on your shot, it helps.”

FOCO set to release limited edition Knicks bobbleheads

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The New York Knicks are an exciting team once again, thanks largely to the triumvirate of first-time All-Star Julius Randle, rising sophomore RJ Barrett and rookie sensation Immanuel Quickley.

Their efforts, along with Tom Thibodeau’s culture or accountability, have changed the moribund franchise’s narrative.

FOCO, the leading manufacturer of sports and entertainment merchandise, are immortalizing the Knicks’ trio with a limited edition of their bobbleheads.

The officially licensed 8-inch bobbleheads feature an arena jumbotron backdrop with a bold Knicks logo display.

Each player stands on a Madison Square Garden-inspired base with their names emblazoned on it, so everyone knows who are the faces of the Knicks franchise.

FOCO said they are only releasing 144 bobbleheads of each player. They added that each bobblehead is individually numbered out of 144.

Handcrafted and handpainted, FOCO tried their best to get the correct details, including the signature braids of Randle and Quickley and Barrett’s clean-cut fro.

They are priced at $50 each and are now available for pre-order at FOCO’s official website.

Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo

Knicks News: Thibs raves about Immanuel Quickley, who shows off his veteran mentality

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immanuel quickley, rj barrett, new york knicks

The New York Knicks finally won a close game, overcoming the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday evening 133-129. Despite the Grizzlies’ entire starting unit posting double-digit points, the Knicks offense finally turned on the afterburners, with Immanuel Quickley offering 20 points over 31 minutes. Quickley shot 7-of-12 from the field and 4-of-6 from downtown, helping secure the win with a few clutch shots toward the end. But don’t discount the influence of second-year player RJ Barrett and his 20 points, displaying another strong shooting performance in what seems to be one of the most amazing developmental leaps I’ve seen in quite a while.

Performances like this draw positive reviews from fans and coaches, as Tom Thibodeau was ecstatic about how Quickley performed in the win, stating his desire to let him keep shooting and building confidence.

“I never mind him taking shots,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “That’s his strength. I know over the course of the season, if he is taking those shots, he is going to make most of them.”

Quickley speaks as if he is a veteran, with an understanding of the game and how opponents change their style to give themselves a competitive advantage. Quickley noticed what they were trying to do on offense, so he created a perfect blend of floaters and three-point shots to help put Memphis to bed.

“The second time that we play a team I feel like they definitely make adjustments, especially on my floater and different things like that — pick and roll play,” Quickley said before the game. “So I’m just trying to get better each and every day not only on the floor but with film, trying to adjust my game to become a smarter student of the game.”

Even veteran All-Star Julius Randle raved about Quickley after the win, thanking him and RJ Barrett for picking up the slack as he struggled for most of the game. Veteran point guard Derrick Rose also had a solid outing, picking up 19 points over 26 minutes.

“Most of the game I’m struggling. RJ is struggling,” Randle said. “For the first half, Derrick kept us in the game with his scoring and setting the pace. Down the stretch, RJ made huge plays, Quick made huge plays, Alec made huge plays.”

Randle played a big part in his own way, picking up a triple-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. Spreading the ball around the floor and creating open shots is what he does best, and his influence undoubtedly offered open looks for Quickley and Barrett down the stretch.

There were concerns that Quickley was hitting the rookie wall, as he’s been struggling the past few weeks, and his offensive influence had taken a bit of a nosedive. However, this breakout performance was not only necessary but well-timed as the Knicks had fallen in several games by close margin’s. Hopefully, this victory will push them over the edge and give them a bit of confidence moving forward.

“For the rookie wall, I don’t really feel it,” Quickley said. “I’m just going to continue to do whatever’s got me here. There’s going to be ups and downs throughout a season, ups and downs throughout a game. But you just want to continue to do what’s got you to the place you’ve been. I’ve got a lot of confidence in myself.”

Knicks suffer another heartbreaker but Thibodeau finds silver linings

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Julius Randle missed his last seven attempts. RJ Barrett muffed a crucial wide-open, 10-foot fadeaway. Immanuel Quickley bricked a potential game-tying three-pointer.

A banged up and short-handed New York Knicks team faded down the stretch as the Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers improved to 18-3 at home with a come-from-behind 99-96 win at the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night.

Randle survived a nasty fall in the second half while Quickley went back to the locker room to retape a tweaked ankle. But they were running on fumes and didn’t have the usual fire late in the game to drag the Knicks to the finish line.

Long Island’s Tobias Harris scored six of his game-high 30 points inside the final 2:26 to lift the 76ers over the Knicks, who just came from an emotionally-charged loss in Brooklyn.

Playing on the last night of a back-to-back schedule against the East’s top two teams, the Knicks actually had the game in control for the most part until midway through the fourth quarter.

After Randle gave the Knicks a 10-point lead, 71-61, with 7:57 remaining in the third quarter, fatigue took its toll. Randle scored only on one free throw the rest of the way.

The Knicks All-Star finished with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists but didn’t have the legs to carry the team to the finish line.

Up by nine heading into the final quarter, the Knicks came up with only 14 points, four in the last 3:18 that did them in.

Still without their key players Mitchell Robinson (broken hand), Elfrid Payton (hamstring injury), and Derrick Rose (health and safety protocols), Tom Thibodeau was forced to play Randle and Barrett heavy minutes.

Randle played in the 40s in both losses against the Nets and the 76ers.

Barrett had 17 points on just 7-for-17 shooting in 41 minutes against Ben Simmons and the 76ers.

Quickley scored 13 points in his second straight start but only hit 1-for-5 from deep. His last miss came in the final 12.8 seconds, with the Knicks trailing by three.

Despite going 1-3 in the tough road trip, Tom Thibodeau was consoled by the fact that they dragged the top two teams in the East — Philadelphia, and Brooklyn — down to the last possession.

“We’re short-handed. That’s part of it,” Thibodeau said. “Whenever one guy goes out, it’s an opportunity for another guy to step in. Sometimes you find some things that can be very good for the team. I think taking a look at the Brooklyn game and this game, there were a lot of good things to take from it, and obviously, we fell short in the end. It shows us the work necessary for us to get over the hump. And we have to continue to work.”

Quickley stepped up and averaged 17 points and 2.5 assists as a starter. Frank Ntilikina, though, failed to capitalize on the opportunity as he went scoreless on both games. But to Ntilikina’s credit, he had his moments on the defensive end, particularly in the fourth quarter against the Nets.

Birthday boy Reggie Bullock, who turned 30 on Tuesday, had another strong outing with 12 points but had a crucial error when he stepped out of bounds on a three-point attempt.

Alec Burks and Taj Gibson combined for 29 points off the bench.

The Knicks head home and will host four games at the Madison Square Garden, beginning with the Orlando Magic on Thursday.

Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo

Anti-climactic ending in Atlantic: Knicks’ comeback falls short in Nets’ nest

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New York Knicks, Immanuel Quickley

It was an enthralling match with the trappings of a high-stakes playoff game where the stranglehold of a basketball city so desperate to get back to NBA relevance hung in the balance.

It was the old power New York Knicks against the new order Brooklyn Nets in Atlantic Avenue.

In the end, a controversial call failed to give it a fitting finish as the Nets escaped with a 117-112 win on Monday night.

Perhaps this would be the start of a heated rivalry between the two resurgent New York teams.

Kyrie Irving saved the Nets from a complete meltdown with a swipe to Julius Randle’s three-point attempt to send the game into overtime. Randle went down with the ball and dribbled that earned him a traveling call.

It was an anti-climatic finish to a riveting game that had its ebb and flow.

The Nets came into the game the heavy favorites even without arguably their best player, Kevin Durant. They still had two of the best guards in the league in Irving and James Harden.

The Knicks tried to counter the Nets’ firepower by inserting the streak shooting rookie Immanuel Quickley into the starting lineup. For a while, it worked as the Knicks, behind Reggie Bullock’s red-hot shooting, led by seven early on, 18-11.

But it was just a matter of time before the Nets’ overwhelming talent took over the game. They extended a five-point lead to 17, 49-32, on a back-breaking 14-2 run at the onset of the second quarter. The Knicks’ second-unit offense suffered without Quickley. Frank Ntilikina continued to struggle, coming up empty in five attempts.

Brooklyn was led by as many as 18 and appeared cruising to an easy win, an encore of its 116-109 win at The Garden on the day the Nets completed the blockbuster Harden trade.

Harden had his first taste of the New York rivalry and quickly stamped his signature. He finished with his 10th triple-double (21 points, 15 rebounds, and 15 assists) of the season and became the first Nets player to register a triple-double with at least 15 points, 15 rebounds, and 15 assists.

“The New York fans, especially the Knicks fans, you can hear them. I don’t know how many fans we have in the building in total, but you heard a lot of Knicks fans. We understand the tradition, but I’m just happy to be part of the rivalry,” Harden said.

He would hear more of them once the arenas would welcome back fans at full capacity. But despite having only 1,600 people allowed for the game, the Knicks fans led by celebrity Spike Lee engulfed the Barclays Center, especially during the fourth quarter.

But they were silent for much part of the game when the Nets’ offense was humming.

Irving, who Blake Griffin described in his pre-game interview as a “creative scorer,” scored in a variety of ways — pull-up jumper, crossover, and stepback jumper, nasty drives, three-pointers with hand on his face.

The Knicks tried but could not contain Irving, the New Jersey native and a self-confessed Nets fan growing up. He led the Nets with 34 points on efficient 13-of-18 shooting.

The Knicks, though, did not back down from the challenge. They showed plenty of fight, and their grittiness enabled them to storm back from an 18-point third-quarter deficit and came within a three-point basket from forcing overtime.

Quickley, the rookie sensation out of Kentucky, did not disappoint in his first NBA career start. He had 21 points but fell silent in the fourth quarter.

It didn’t matter as Randle found his rhythm late, pouring in 12 points in the Knicks’ late fightback. He was furious after the traveling call and had to be restrained by his teammates, the Knicks coaching staff, and even William Wesley, the team’s executive vice president.

Randle tried to match Irving and Harden’s star power during crunch time, but his effort went down the drain with that call. Randle collected 33 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and three steals.

Barrett ended up with 23 points, six rebounds, and four assists after a rough start to the game. Bullock and Alec Burks had 19 and 12, respectively, combining for seven of the Knicks’ 15 triples.

After surviving the Knicks’ blistering start, the Nets’ supercharged offense overwhelmed the Knicks’ defense. Brooklyn shot 70 percent in the first quarter to take a 35-30 lead after being down by seven. The Nets ended up with 58 percent, still far from Tom Thibodeau’s liking.

If the Nets were silky-smooth on offense, the Knicks lived to fight with their grittiness that earned them 27 trips at the line. They hit 24 free throws that helped them hang with the Nets.

Their defense was air-tight in the closing moments, forcing two jump balls in the final 10.8 seconds of the game.

All the Knicks wanted was a shot at winning the game. They had their chances but couldn’t capitalize. And in the end, the breaks of the game didn’t go Manhattan’s way.

On the flip side, for all the talks that the Nets are just all offense, they leaned on defense to pull out this win. Irving, despite the controversial call, took care of business and made a game-winning defensive stop.

Crew chief Scott Foster explained after the game that it was the correct call.

“The defender (Irving) was deemed to touch the ball but not cause it to be dislodged or loose. Upon that, when the player (Randle) alights, he cannot purposely drop the ball or dribble the ball or be first to touch after he dropped the ball,” Foster said.

The Brooklyn franchise collected stars to establish a new order and try to end a New York tradition.

But not so fast.

The Knicks won’t give up their grip on the city without a fight. Monday night’s game was a testament.

The close call was the Nets’ 100th win over the Knicks, who hold a slim one-win edge in their all-time head-to-head matchups. The Nets could tie it with a regular season-sweep on April 5.

Brooklyn has a firm grip of the second spot in the East with a 27-13 record, half a game behind Philadelphia, after extending their winning streak to five.

The Knicks slipped to 20-2, still good for seventh place in the East.

A Knicks-Nets playoff matchup should be a perfect treat for New York fans.

But for that to happen, the Knicks should continue to defy the odds.

They will try to close out the tough four-game road trip to start the second half with a victory in Philadephia against the Sixers, the current best team in the East.

Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo

Knicks News: Immanuel Quickley’s big chance might be here, but will Thibodeau allow it?

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New York Knicks, Immanuel Quickley

The New York Knicks have their biggest challenge of the year on Monday evening against the Brooklyn Nets. While Brooklyn has won just six games more than their counterparts in New York, the Nets have won 12 of their last 13 games.

The Knicks are expected to be without both starting point guards Derrick Rose and Elfrid Payton, which leaves them with Immanuel Quickley and Frank Ntilikina. Whether or not Quickley or Frank will earn the start is up to head coach Tom Thibodeau, who was noncommittal on naming a player before Monday’s contest.

“We’re still not sure yet,’’ Thibodeau said. “It will be a game-time decision.’’

Quickley has been a revelation for the Knicks this season offensively, outperforming the 25th overall selection in the 2021 NBA draft. Over 35 games, he’s averaging 12.5 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.3 rebounds over 19.3 minutes. He currently has a .395 field goal percentage and .380% from three-pointer. He also has a .920% success rate from the free-throw line, indicating fantastic efficiency after being fouled.

The Kentucky product understands that he still needs time to develop portions of his game, and while starting would be exciting, he’s not questioning the coaching staff and their decisions.

“If it happens, it happens,’’ Quickley said. “If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I’m trying to bring energy to the game. I know that’s what I’m great at, encouraging my teammates. I just know my part.’’

The Knicks have enjoyed Quickley’s role thus far:

Quickley has been fantastic off the bench with the second team, providing them a spark with his beautiful floaters and ability to hit shots from downtown. At just 21 years old, he has blown everybody away and their expectations, and having a mentor like Derrick Rose behind him will only benefit him in the long term.

“He’s been terrific all year the moment he got here,’’ Thibodeau said. “He’s a student of the game, stays in the gym, learning every day. He’s played well. He’s added a lot to our team, particularly with our need for shooting, and gets into the paint. He’s a gym rat. He’s always asking questions and is a a great teammate.’’

Thibodeau might roll with Frank for one basic reason, he’s a far superior defender, and against a Nets team that is capable of posting 120+ points per game, they will need all the defensive support they can get. The offensive spark Quickley provides off the bench is essential when trying to change the game’s pace, but with ESPN’s Power Index predicting a 79.8% Brooklyn favoring, holding them to a minimum number of points will be essential in this contest.