There aren’t many teams in the NBA that can compete with the overall depth that the New York Knicks have. That provides head coach Tom Thibodeau with some maneuverability when it comes to making lineups, but it is a double-edged sword. Having depth is nice, but finding minutes for everyone can be a challenge.
That is what Thibodeau is experiencing this season. There are a lot of talented players on this team, especially in the backcourt, but only so many minutes to give out. When Jalen Brunson is locked into a big-minutes role at point guard, it makes things even more difficult to find playing time for guys such as Immanuel Quickley.
Quickley, the runner-up for the Sixth Man of the Year award in the 2022-23 season, has seen his playing time and opportunities drop this season. But, that hasn’t deterred him from producing, as Quickley has improved his efficiency and is putting up career-best numbers in several stats.
Quickley’s usage rate is actually higher this season; he just isn’t playing as many minutes as he has in the past. That is something Thibodeau and his staff have to figure out as the Knicks are a much better team with him on the floor than on the bench.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Immanuel Quickley, Tom Thibodeau, New York Knicks Updates
As shared by Shwinny Pooh on X, formerly Twitter, via Basketball Reference, Quickley has the best plus/minus ratio per 100 possessions of players in the rotation with a +8.6. His plus/minus net per 100 possessions is even better at +10.9.
However, finding more minutes for Quickley is not easy. They aren’t coming at the expense of Brunson and Thibodeau is already divvying up minutes between two other players, Donte DiVincenzo and Quentin Grimes, at shooting guard.
From an outside perspective, it is easy to rail for change, but to give him more minutes, someone else has to be scaled back. While difficult to do, it is necessary, as Quickley isn’t getting nearly enough playing time.
As pointed out by Tommy Beer on X, the list of players who have logged more minutes in December or are averaging more minutes per game this season is eye-catching. None of these players have as big of an impact as Quickley and some of them aren’t even rotation regulars.
Drastic changes are unlikely, as Thibodeau already made a big one replacing Grimes in the starting lineup with DiVincenzo. But, numbers don’t lie, and Quickley is the most productive player the Knicks can be using at the shooting guard spot.
Since the end of November, as shared by Beer, Quickley has played 241 minutes in a 12-game sample size. He has recorded a plus/minus of +58 with a net rating of +11.3 In that period, DiVincenzo, the new starting shooting guard, has a plus/minus of -44 and a net rating of -8.1 in 257 minutes. Barrett has been even worse, playing 340 minutes with a -69 plus/minus ratio and a -9.4 net rating.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Immanuel Quickley, Tom Thibodeau, New York Knicks Updates
In that 12-game span, the Knicks are 7-5 and have played a daunting schedule. With a few more minutes here and there for Quickley, at least one more win could have been created during that stretch.
Even if Quickley isn’t going to receive more minutes, Thibodeau can create better results by relying on better lineup combinations. It is of little surprise that the Knicks’ best 5-man lineup this season includes Quickley.
He, along with Brunson, Hart, Julius Randle and Isaiah Hartenstein, have an offensive rating of 129.7 and a defensive rating of 101.1 in 87 minutes together. That +28.6 net rating is an elite number and a combination that Thibodeau should be looking to use more.
Among lineups with at least 75 minutes played this season, that Knicks group has the second-highest net rating in the NBA. Bottom line, when Quickley is on the court, good things happen for the team.
Finding a way to get him on the court more is easier said than done, but that is part of Thibodeau’s job as head coach to figure out. Even just another minute or two every game could be the difference between a win and a loss in a close contest that goes down to the wire. The Knicks are doing their opponents a favor right now with some of their lineup decisions and that needs to change as soon as possible,
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