Knicks' Immanuel Quickley puts focus on wins over individual performance
Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley (5) drives against the San Antonio Spurs' Jakob Poeltl during the first half of a game on Thursday in San Antonio. Credit: AP/Darren Abate
HOUSTON — For Immanuel Quickley, the two-game run as a starter this week came with performances for his resumé. He set a career high in assists when he handed out 15 with just one turnover on Tuesday in Dallas. Then he established a career high in points with 36 on Thursday in San Antonio.
But he was focused on a different number.
“I mean, we lost both games,” Quickley said Thursday night. “So career high or not, it kind of [expletive]. It don’t really matter, because we lost.”
The losses were painful — a historic collapse in the final 30 seconds against the Mavericks, when the Knicks blew a nine-point lead in what became an overtime loss, and a lethargic effort against the Spurs. But it was hard to fault Quickley, who replaced Jalen Brunson, sidelined with a sore right hip.
Quickley not only set the career highs but turned the ball over only once in each game and added seven assists and seven rebounds to his 36 points on Thursday night.
“I don’t get wrapped up in the individual,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “I look at what the team does. That’s the important part. How do you impact the team? So we didn’t play well. The numbers when you don’t win don’t mean anything to me.”
Perhaps Quickley's most impressive number was minutes played — 51 of a possible 53 in Tuesday's overtime loss and 43 Thursday.
“[I] try to work hard in the summer so you can play minutes like this, but I just don’t think we played as good as we could have,” he said. “We’ve got to learn from this film-wise. I’ll learn, go back and watch the film and be better, especially defensively. Try to be better next game.
“[I’m] a little tired, but that’s no excuse to not come out and compete, come out and try to help the team win. Any time you step on the floor, you’ve got to take advantage of it.”
Quickley has played in every game, averaging 11.3 points and 3.3 assists. In his three starts, he has averaged 42.8 minutes, 23.0 points and 7.7 assists.
Those starting numbers are particularly intriguing because while he is unlikely to become a starter in New York with Brunson, RJ Barrett and Quentin Grimes in place, he has been floated in trade talks. He is eligible for a pricey contract extension in the summer, and the Knicks will have to decide how they value him as a sixth man versus what they could get in a deal. A league source indicated earlier this season that Quickley is interested in a larger role someplace.
“I’d rather win,” Quickley said when asked about seeking a larger role. “Everybody looks for opportunities to come in and try to prove themselves. Whether I play 50 minutes or whether I play 25, I try to do my job, try to come out and play hard each and every game and be aggressive and just do my job. But you want to see those turn into wins, and we’re gonna get that done.”
Evan Fournier had a larger role Thursday, too. With Brunson and RJ Barrett unavailable, Fournier got in a game for the first time since Nov. 13. He played 17 minutes and scored 11 points.
“That’s just the reality of things,” he said of how hard it was to be ready. “So I’m not even asking myself the question. Doing the work daily and it just happened that today I got a chance to play. Try to be present. Try to be in the moment and just try to help the team win. That’s it. It was a lot easier to play than to sit on the bench and watch the guys play. I’m actually happy I got a shot at being back out there.”
Said Thibodeau, “It’s a credit to him. He’s a true pro. It’s not easy. I understand. it’s not easy for Derrick [Rose] either, but that’s what being a professional is and that’s what the expectation is.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
