Immanuel Quickley brushed off the fact that he played just 18 minutes in the Knicks’ frustrating loss to the Jazz on Wednesday night, once again saying all the right things when asked about his workload, or lack thereof.
“Just whatever minutes you get, go out there and be effective,” Quickley said, via Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “Whatever minutes I get, whether 15, 20, 25. I played 55 last season. Whatever minutes I get, go out there and help the team win.”
That 55-minute game was an overtime masterpiece against the Celtics in which he poured in 38 points and shot 54 percent from the floor in a dramatic Knicks victory. But Quickley’s minutes have consistently declined since that breakout game that put him in the Sixth Man of the Year conversation, and that falls at the feet of Tom Thibodeau.
At the start of last season, Thobidoeau was prioritizing the playing time of the likes of Evan Fournier, Cam Reddish, and Derrick Rose, as Quickley played less than 20 minutes in six of his first 11 games. When Thibodeau finally shuffled the deck to get Quickley and Quentin Grimes more involved, New York took off, becoming one of the league’s best in net rating and riding that wave all the way to its first postseason series win in a decade.
But Quickley’s clear and direct impact on the Knicks’ success isn’t being rewarded with more playing time, as he played just 18 minutes on Wednesday despite being one of the Knicks’ best players on the court, scoring 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting (yes, he had just missed a game with knee soreness, but the correlation between that and his minutes on Wednesday was shot down by Quickley). Despite once again being one of the team’s most valuable contributors, Quickley’s minutes have dipped from 29 minutes per game last season to 24 through 22 games this season.
Wednesday, when the Knicks desperately needed a boost, Quickley was mainly kept on the bench, left to watch his group drop the first game of an important west coast swing. The head coach stood by and watched as well, as he once again kept one of his top players on the pine.
Quickley’s value is widespread, from his shooting to his defense and rebounding ability as a small guard. His value in the pick-and-roll is eye-opening. As The Strickland noted earlier this week, Quickley is half of the Knicks’ top four two-man combos this season, when judging by net rating (the top four are Quickley with RJ Barrett, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mitchell Robinson, respectively). He makes nearly every teammate around him better, yet Thibodeau will consistently turn to Hart or others instead of Quickley. Sure, Quickley says all the right things now, as he did on Wednesday night, but eventually, that will likely change.
Quickley and the Knicks reportedly weren’t close on extension talks in the offseason, as Quickley would like to get paid as a starter in the NBA that is capable of starter-like production. He has already proven, over years of evidence, that he is capable of that, yet Thibodeau keeps his minutes limited. If that continues, the two sides are headed for a breakup.
Perhaps Quickley is traded. But for now, he is still a Knick, and Thibodeau has a responsibility to put the best players on the floor to maximize the value of his roster. He is not accomplishing that by limiting Quickley, which has become negligent at this point.
Thibodeau has no problem leaving Jalen Brunson susceptible to injury by leaving him on the court with seconds to go in a game that is already decided, and is notorious for giving heavy workloads to his starters.
Yet Quickley is kept on a leash. For the sake of the Knicks season, it can’t continue.