3 reasons Immanuel Quickley should be the Knicks starting shooting guard
By James Nolan
The New York Knicks are sitting at 12-9 right now, which puts them in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Under Head Coach Tom Thibodeau, they're one of the best rebounding and defensive teams in the league, Offensively is where they're struggling.
The starting five for the Knicks is collectively playing well. Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle are both averaging over 20 points per game. RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson have gotten off to good starts as well. It's only been New York's starting shooting guard Quentin Grimes who hasn't been able to get into a groove to start the year. They've recently replaced him with Donte DiVincenzo in the lineup, but it should be Immanuel Quickley.
It could be beneficial for Thibodeau to make a change, as Immanuel Quickley has been making the case to become a starter for quite some time now. Not only do the numbers back it up, but his ceiling is very high at just 24 years old.
New York isn't in a bad position standings-wise. There are still a ton of games left, but a change now could help in the long run. Grimes isn't that much better of a defender than Quickley. The former Kentucky star is also a much better scorer than Grimes and DiVincenzo.
Brunson and Randle are great, but they need another third-scoring option to put them over the top. Barrett can certainly be that piece, but he's already in year four now. Quickley has never gotten the opportunity to start consistently, but here are three reasons Thibodeau should change that:
3. Immanuel Quickley is a better scorer than Grimes
With the Knicks being 26th in the entire NBA in field goal percentage, they need more offensive efficiency. This season, Grimes is averaging just 6.2 points per game on 37 percent shooting. On the other hand, Quickley is averaging 15.0 points per game on 43 percent shooting.
Quickley is now in his fourth season. He's been the best option off the bench for Thibodeau since they drafted him in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft. This season he's averaging 22.6 points per 36 minutes. DiVincenzo is averaging 15.7 points per 36 minutes and Grimes is only averaging 9.9 points per 36 minutes.
Last season, Quickley started 21 games. In those starts, he scored 22.6 points per game, along with 5.4 rebounds per game and 5.1 assists per game. If the Knicks were able to feature him in the starting lineup with Randle and Brunson, it would force the opposing team to focus on more than just the two Knicks stars on the defensive end.
Grimes has potential on the offensive end and he's a decent shooter behind the arc. He hasn't been able to get going this season, which is a big part of why the Knicks have struggled with scoring this season. Quickley has been a better scorer throughout his career than Grimes, even without getting the same opportunities as him. And with the Knicks struggling to score, it might be time to give Quickley a bigger role.