Former Kentucky Wildcat Immanuel Quickley has been playing inspired basketball with the New York Knicks second unit . Many Knick fans and others are noticing Quickley more and more as the regular season progresses. Quickley is taking New York City by storm even though the Barclays Center is home to three dynamic scoring superstars in Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden. New York City newspapers are still using the entire back page for Knicks news instead of the Nets. Basketball commentator, Rob Perez of The Action Network tweeted the following on Saturday January 30th:

The KnickOfTime Show and Knickfantv showed excitement about Immanuel Quickley’s magnificent play against the Cleveland Cavaliers during a Friday night victory under the bright lights of an empty Madison Square Garden on January 29th. Elfrid Payton’s poor offensive play was brought up however, there was acknowledgement of Payton’s solid defense. Many don’t understand why Tom Thibodeau starts Payton over Quickley. However, Tom Thibodeau believes in playing certain units together for rhythm and cohesion purposes. Thibs also doesn’t put emphasis on who starts games. It’s quiet clear however, that the Knicks officially have a closer at the end of games, that would be sharpshooting rookie Immanuel Quickley.

MSG Networks presented an interview with former Knicks shooting guard and current MSG PM Hoops Contributor, Latrell Sprewell. Monica McNutt and Kazeen Famuyide held the discussion about the New York Knicks and the recently impressive play by Immanuel Quickley. Kazeen asked for Sprewell’s thoughts on Immanuel Quickley:

Immanuel Quickley, I would love to get your thoughts on this kid’s play as of late.

Latrell Sprewell responds with the following:

Oh man he’s just, I mean what can you say, I think the fans feel like myself, I mean it’s the excitement that he brings to the game. He kind of reminds me of myself when I was coming off the bench for the Knicks. How he changed the tempo of the game, and that’s what you want to see, I mean he just has the talent level, and what he brings to the table. The kid’s so young, he’s got an upside. To have him in the backcourt with Barrett is going to be nice for the Knicks. So I’m excited about what he brings to the table for sure.

It’s a very positive statement from Sprewell, one of the last players who was on the New York Knicks team that went to the NBA finals during the 98-99 season as an 8th seed.

Immanuel Quickley Plays Like a Veteran at Times

Tom Thibodeau has been mostly impressed by Quickley’s poise as a young rookie. His ability to draw fouls along with his overall craftiness has been a plus. Quickley has stated that he’s been putting in the work off the court to be the best player that he can be. Confidence comes from practicing. Now Quickley has gained the trust of his head coach to play him at the end of close games due to his natural shooting ability, emerging playmaking skills, and overall impressive savviness for a rookie.

Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images

Quickley Possibly the Point Guard of The Future?

Jonathan Wasserman, the lead scout and draft writer for Bleacher Report mentions how scouts labeled Immanuel Quickley as just another “shooting specialist” leading up to the 2020 NBA draft. Quickley has shown more than that early in his rookie season coming off the bench for the Knicks. Jonathan Wasserman acknowledges the on going question circulating the Knick fanbase. The question is whether or not Quickley is suddenly the franchise’s point guard of the future. Wasserman basically warns that time will tell. Everything depends on his consistency and evolution throughout his young NBA career along with his ability to learn fast and handle responsibilities of such a prominent role even though he played two collegiate seasons at Kentucky mostly off-ball.

Knicks Expected to Approve Dennis Smith Jr.’s Request to Play in G-League.

New York Knicks G-League affiliate, Westchester Knicks season begins February. Former lottery pick, Dennis Smith Jr. requested to play in the G-League according to Stefan Bondy of New York Daily News. Knicks are expected to approve Smith’s request. The 6’3” high flying dunker from Fayetteville, North Carolina is currently out of Tom Thibodeau’s rotation. The 23-year old is looking to redeem himself in some capacity after a lackluster start to the regular season.

Quickley’s Solid Outing Against a Team Ranked 4th in Defensive Rating.

Immanuel Quickley scored 25-points on 9-16 shooting from the field along with 2 three pointers during a Sunday game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Quickley also shot 5-6 from the free throw line along with 3-assists and 3-rebounds. At one point during the game, the Clippers decided to put Kawhi Leonard on Quickley in an attempt to prevent the sharpshooting sniper from getting hot from downtown. That kind of attention being garnered by a rookie shouldn’t go unnoticed even during a Knicks loss. Quickley made sure to let Lou Williams know the respect he has for the vet.

Mark Lennihan/Associated Press

Overall, Latrell Sprewell has a good feeling about the Knicks 25th overall selection in the 2020 NBA Draft. Sprewell was a dynamic and energetic scorer himself. Therefore, the respect for the rookie’s game speak volumes to the tremendous job the Knicks front office is currently doing while building out the Knicks roster under Tom Thibodeau.

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