The New York Knicks needed a repairman.
Locked up in a tight Christmas game against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Knicks had jumbled their defensive matchups on a fourth-quarter fast break. RJ Barrett was stuck on a big man. Mitchell Robinson had squared up against a stretch four. Once again, New York’s transition defense, which has been imperfect all season, had put itself in a precarious position … until someone began to overhaul it.
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Only six seconds into the possession, Immanuel Quickley, who was stationed in the opposite corner as Sixers forward Tobias Harris initiated the offense on the wing, swiveled his head right to left, scanning the floor and looking for a next move. By the time his chin touched his left shoulder, he realized he could reorganize the mismatches all by himself.
Barrett’s man (76ers center Montrezl Harrell) approached Quickley, which placed the small guard, Robinson, and Barrett close together. Quickley pointed Robinson to Harrell, then called for a three-man switch, which shuffled Robinson onto the center, Barrett onto the wing and Quickley onto the stretch four, Georges Niang.
Quickley was now the one with the mismatch. But he realized what he was doing all along.
“It’s pretty good to have a guy that knows what’s about to happen,” Robinson said.
The greatest compliment a player can give Quickley is that he won’t shut up.
The third-year guard guides teammates through complicated switches, like the one above. He is the Knicks’ most vocal defender in transition, pointing and twisting to make sure the group picks up assignments properly — or at least stops the ball. He’s able to direct the defense from the top of the key, a job normally reserved for centers who stand as the last line of protection and thus can see the whole floor.
Quickley doesn’t have eyes in the back of his head, but he can sense what’s happening behind him.
“(It’s) kind of a feel. And also as you see games, you see the same patterns,” Quickley said. “Pretty much everybody in the league runs the same stuff.”
Quickley has become obsessed with basketball minutiae. He’s able to recognize other teams’ plays just from the actions he’s defending, which then allows him to direct the defenders behind him. He scrutinizes game film — and not just to memorize opposing offenses. He also studies his favorite defender, Milwaukee Bucks extraordinaire Jrue Holiday.
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He has something resembling a video-graphic memory. When asked if he would give his thoughts to The Athletic on the play that’s referenced above, Quickley grabbed the iPhone to view the video, saw the freeze frame before pressing play and remarked, “Oh, this was a good one.” He then proceeded to run through what he remembered from the possession before even watching it.
The interaction was weeks after the game against the Sixers.
“We’re always on the same page,” Robinson said. “We go through these little plays. He says, ‘Boom, I know what play that is. I’m gonna call it out. I’m gonna tell y’all where to go.’”
On the aforementioned play against the 76ers (which you can view in full here), Quickley knew what was coming next, which is why he felt comfortable switching to Niang.
Philadelphia was about to send both its forwards, Niang and Harris, to set screens on either side of All-Star guard James Harden. It turned into a two-man pick-and-roll game with Quickley and Quentin Grimes, the Knicks’ feistiest perimeter stalwarts.
Quickley wasn’t done telling people what to do, either.
He stifled Harden’s first move, then pointed to Harris’ defender, Julius Randle, to switch onto Niang, who was flashing to the corner.
“Quick talks a lot,” Robinson feigned after a game a few weeks ago. “Sometimes he tries to get me in a spot like he’s the defensive anchor. No, slow your roll, bucko. He’s a competitor. He’s ready to go. He was talking tonight. I’m like, ‘Hold on, chill out. That’s me. … You got your offensive side. I got this side. That’s me.’”
But even Robinson has to admit that it’s helpful to have a guard who orchestrates as a big man does.
Quickley somehow guards a Harden drive, a Harris roll, a kick out to Niang and a drive from Niang all within six seconds. The play ends in an errant Harris fadeaway with Randle inches from his grill.
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“If I see something that I know what (play or action) it is, I’ll say it to my teammates,” Quickley said.
And as Quickley mentioned when he rewatched this play weeks after it occurred, he was prepared for more.
“See, (Harris) doesn’t do it here, but if he drives by Ju, I’m ready to help,” he said.
Defense is easier when you know what’s coming, and Quickley often does.
“I think my IQ is probably one of my better strengths, being able to help guys out where they’re supposed to be at,” Quickley said. “And then talking on the floor is also an underrated skill that a lot of people don’t do. So, just try to help, really just do anything you can to win. That’s what it really comes down to.”
When Quickley first entered the league, the most-common comparison for him was three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams — a flattering outlook, no question, but also a statement on Quickley’s style. He could score, and maybe one day he could facilitate better than he did as a rookie. But his role projected as an instant-offense reserve. If he wasn’t shooting well, then he wasn’t providing much.
In two years, he’s somehow transformed into the opposite: a gritty, little-things addict who his supporters hope can one day even out an inconsistent jumper. Meanwhile, the addiction is only getting worse.
After a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers last week, he playfully bragged about “my play,” which he didn’t identify any further. It wasn’t clear which one he meant.
“The one in the fourth quarter,” he said, hoping the timeframe would add enough detail.
Still, no dice.
Was he referring to the floater he splashed in at the beginning of the period? Or maybe the assist he dished to Obi Toppin? Neither play should have inspired this much excitement.
The corners of Quickley’s crescent lips contorted toward the sky even more. Hall of Famers have been less animated discussing buzzer-beating shots to win playoff series.
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“No!” he said. “I made a great pre-rotation onto Isaac Okoro in the corner!”
These are Quickley’s highlights.
A driver had infiltrated the paint, and Quickley had noticed Cleveland would eventually fling the ball to an open Okoro, so he moved there before the Cavaliers even saw what they were supposed to do. The possession ended in a steal because of that recognition from Quickley. But he wasn’t gloating about the takeaway; it was about something far less seductive.
He noticed a player standing in the corner and rotated to him.
“The thing I love about Quick is that he’s smart. He’s very, very smart,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He understands what he has to do to help our team defense. I think it’s his greatest strength.”
Heading into Tuesday night’s action, the Knicks defense was 13.8 points per 100 possessions better when Quickley was in the game, which gives the third-year guard by far the most impressive differential of any player in the NBA, according to Cleaning the Glass. Think about it in this context: 13.8 points per 100 possessions is the same as the difference between the Memphis Grizzlies’ currently No. 1-ranked defense and the defense of a nonexistent team that would have the worst defense of all time if it existed.
The numbers are extreme for reasons beyond his abilities. He often subs in for a subpar defender, which contributes to the giant swing. He’s particularly important for the way the Knicks scheme, too.
New York loves sticking Quickley to shooters in the corners because the team uses the defender in that position to help into the lane aggressively on drives and still expects that player to close out on 3-point shooters if the ball gets kicked out. That’s a lot of ground to cover. You need someone quick, and you need someone with IQ. Fortunately, both of those attributes are right there in one guy’s name.
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“That little dude’s fast,” Barrett said. “I mean, he’s kinda like one of those guys all over the court. It’s not even necessarily you’re looking for him. He’s just there.”
Other teams have noticed the metrics. Multiple organizations have lusted after Quickley leading into the Feb. 9 trade deadline, in part because they find his defensive on/off data so intriguing.
After a disappointing start to the season, the Knicks made it clear they would listen to offers for the third-year guard. But, as The Athletic previously reported, league sources say New York has changed its tune over the past couple of months. The Knicks are far more resistant now to trading Quickley, who has scored efficiently for more than a month and has morphed into the group’s most consistent off-ball defender.
After all, when the Knicks aren’t sure where to be, at least they have a teammate to push them to the right spots.
“That’s the mark of a good defender, to be able to think ahead,” Thibodeau said. “What’s coming? If you’re on the ball, obviously you’re engaged with the ball, so you’re not doing that. But if you’re off the ball, you’re thinking, ‘How can I help? How can I be disruptive? What’s coming next?’ And the more you communicate it, you give your team a head start.”
(Photo of Quickley: Dustin Satloff / Getty Images)
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