Immanuel Quickley mired in a major crisis of address | NBA

Selected in 25th position in the 2020 Draft by the Thunder, then sent in stride to the Knicks, Immanuel Quickley made an impression during his rookie season last year. Like his team, the player from Kentucky burst onto the screen and far exceeded the expectations around him.

Very quickly empowered off the bench by Tom Thibodeau, he had recorded an average of 11.4 points in 19 minutes, during the 64 matches (out of 72) in which he took part. The only downside: a rather worrying shooting percentage (39.5% on shots on 9 shots per game), but which could seem “normal” for a rookie, empowered in a team that had reached the playoffs.

A clumsiness that worsens in year II

The chronic awkwardness of the “combo-guard” was indeed exported until the start of his sophomore season. During the first 10 matches of this 2021-22 season, Immanuel Quickley only reached the 10-point mark twice. During the 8 other matches, he did not reach the “symbolic” bar of 50% success in shooting.

And since the transition to the new year, it’s even worse: out of the 20 matches played by the Knicks in 2022, he has only crossed this bar… 2 times! The first time on January 8 (18 points at 7/11), on the occasion of a big defeat of New York against Boston, and the second time this night (5 points at 2/3…), during the great victory for his club on the floor of the Warriors. The “sophomore” has therefore been going through a severe crisis of address for more than a month.

Over the whole season, the whole thing is not very glorious: his shooting percentage has dropped (from 39.5% last year to 36.9% this year), while his playing time has increased slightly (from 19 at 21 min/m). The same goes for his outside address, which has gone from 38.9% to 33.2% from one season to the next, while the number of shots he takes from behind the arc is up (4.7 to 4.9).

A selection of shots to clean

If clumsiness is a fairly classic phenomenon in a young player who is still trying to find his feet in the league, the case of Quickley is particular. Because the player is a “greedy”, a profile of free spirit who works on instinct. And that influences, logically, the regularity of his performances since he can catch fire with several successes in a row, then sink with a festival of failures.

For his coach Tom Thibodeau, it’s not rocket science: his player simply needs to improve his shot selection.

« I think he needs easy shots. When he takes several easy shots, he finds his rhythm. “Thibs” noted. ” You have to know how to keep it simple. When you’re open, you shoot. You are defended, you pass the ball. He doesn’t have to complicate his life. He is a confident boy, we believe in him and especially in his shooting. He has a good shot, he just has to take the good shots, the ones that are open. Don’t fight the pressure. »