The New York Knicks’ sixth man, Immanuel Quickley, is vital for New York’s playoff hopes as the third most important player this season.
Immanuel Quickley has become the sixth man for the New York Knicks this season. Derrick Rose once played that part. But Rose’s production started to decline, which allowed Quickley to jump into a more significant role.
Now, it would be tough to measure Quickley’s impact if you looked at his season statistics or just glanced at the box score on a nightly basis. However, IQ does much more than play the role of microwave scorer off the bench. He is a critical facilitator, rebounder, and defender for this team. Quickley contributes to the Knicks in so many areas that we might need to call him Blade because he cuts opponents in many ways.
But I must admit that IQ’s full impact wasn’t noticeable at the beginning of this season because he got off to another slow offensive start, just as he did the previous year. Whether it was finding his shot or balancing his playmaking with his scoring, Quickley wasn’t in rhythm. Nevertheless, he was and still is, playing outstanding defense. But IQ’s offense just wasn’t it.
Through the first 30 games of the season, Quickley’s per game averages were 9.6 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.3 turnovers, and 23.7 minutes with a shooting split of .385/.297/.844. As you can see, outside of his rebounding and free throw shooting, everything else was shaky.
However, after IQ erupted for 22 points in 23 minutes in the win against the Golden State Warriors (the eighth win of the eight-game winning streak), he started to find his groove on offense. Through the following 28 of 29 games Quickley has played, he has averaged 15.9 points, 4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.9 turnovers, and 32.2 minutes with shooting splits of .479/.393/.805 per game.
From the numbers I listed above, it’s clear that Quickley’s scoring came around. However, Quickley’s assists per game don’t truly resemble how much he improved as a facilitator, even though the number slightly increased.
When IQ is on the floor, he is constantly swinging the ball around to keep his teammates involved, whether earning the assist or making the hockey pass. Sadly, since the Knicks aren’t an efficient scoring team, his passing won’t always show up in the box score – New York has a 52.8 effective field goal percentage, ranking them 24th in the league.
To prove my point, Quickley is averaging 33.9 passes made in 27.8 minutes per game this season, which places him third on the team – he’s behind Jalen Brunson (59.4 passes made in 35 minutes per game) and Julius Randle (45.6 passes made in 35.9 minutes per game). And if we break that number out between Quickley’s first 30 games and his recent 28 games, IQ went from 29.2 passes made during 23.7 minutes to 39 passes made in 32.2 minutes per game.
Quickley’s passing numbers could probably be higher if he (1) weren’t the second unit’s primary scorer, (2) was given more responsibility to facilitate the offense while on the floor with Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, and (3) had more playing time.
But now that Quickley’s scoring and facilitating have finally caught up to his defense, we can officially crown him as New York’s third-best player this season (Brunson is first, and Randle is second).
I get it. I get it. Some are saying: Alex, how can you disrespect RJ Barrett like that?
Well, I am not disrespecting RJ, nor does this mean I dislike him. Barrett is still an essential member of this team, either the fourth or fifth most important Knick (Mitchell Robinson is around there too). But if we are keeping it a buck, RJ has been inconsistent this season. Thankfully, RJ has found his groove on offense (for the most part), but his defense has slipped from commendable to dreadful.
With all that said, I do believe Barrett will bounce back next season.
Some may wonder where Quentin Grimes would fall in this ranking. I’d probably put him at sixth because while his three-point shooting, playmaking, and defense are vital, his usage rate is low compared to Brunson, Randle, Quickley, and Barrett. And while Grimes’ usage is greater than Robinson’s, Mitch’s rebounding and paint protection are instrumental to how the Knicks play offense and defense. (Sixth is still great, considering Grimes is a sophomore in the league and has more room to grow!)
But getting back to Quickley, he has been one of the most consistent players. And in addition to that, he has been New York’s best two-way player.
From IQ’s 28 most recent games, he has only shot below 40 percent from the field six times. In addition, he has only scored single-digit points three times. On top of that, amongst all the Knicks players who have played in at least 15 matchups and are averaging 10 minutes per game, IQ has the second-best net rating (4.0) and second-best defensive rating (112.4) – Robinson is first in both categories. So, Quickley’s impact should not go unnoticed.
The only question: Will Quickley’s production be the same with Josh Hart in the fold?
I recently wrote that Quickley shouldn’t see a drastic drop in minutes because he is a secondary ball handler the Knicks need. As we saw against the Boston Celtics, Jalen Brunson was double-teamed frequently in the fourth quarter, and without another facilitator on the floor, New York’s offense was easy to slow down. That’s why we have seen Quickley in the closing minutes of games in the most recent weeks.
However, in Hart’s first game against the Utah Jazz, Quickley logged 23 minutes while Hart got 26. And in that same matchup, Barrett and Hart closed the game. In the most recent contest against the Brooklyn Nets, Quickley and Hart earned 28 minutes and closed the game together.
Now, as promising as it was to see Quickley close the Nets game with Hart, we should keep an eye on IQ’s minutes. As I noted earlier, Quickley has averaged 32.2 minutes in his last 28 games, and we know from the beginning of the season Quickley was supposed to have a bigger role.
I would expect Tom Thibodeau to close games with whoever is in a rhythm that night. But we’ll probably see the musical chairs of Quickley, Hart, RJ Barrett, and Quentin Grimes closing games next to Brunson, Randle, and one of the centers.
Nevertheless, Quickley has been essential for this team’s success. Even the front office has noticed how important he is. Let’s remember that Fred Katz reported earlier in the season that the Knicks wanted a first-round pick in return for IQ. Then, weeks before the trade deadline, Ian Begley said that New York’s front office was “not actively seeking offers” for him.
It’ll be interesting to see where the Knicks stand on Quickley come this offseason. They have decisions to make about him, Obi Toppin, and Miles “Deuce” McBride. But for now, let’s enjoy Quickley solid contributions.
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the NBA season. And in case you missed it, check out CP’s interview with The Legendary Chuck D to discuss Knicks and how hip-hop changed the world!
