And so far, Quickley has made the Knicks’ inaction look silly. His production and impact has been so good that he might play his way into the starting lineup, a $30 million annual contract, and maybe an entirely different locker room.
Through 16 games, Quickley is averaging a career-high 15.9 points on 50.5 percent shooting from the field and 37.5 percent from behind the arc. He’s also reeled in 3.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists while continually being one of the team’s most impactful defenders in just 25 minutes per night.
Per-36 minutes, he’d be producing at a 23-5-5 line with plus defense, a feat that can be matched by only a handful of guards in the league.
Given how many games he’s closed for the Knicks this season and prior, it’s safe to say he’s no bench novelty, but one of the best two-way guards in basketball.
Ok we’ll go by this step by step
Cole Anthony’s TS last year was 57%. Quickley’s was 57.8%
Debatable especially with Cole’s advanced stats being higher and playing for one of the top defenses in the league
Cole Anthony has 103 and Quickley has 27
Great job conveniently leaving out that Cole Anthony has two seasons with a TS% under 52%
Yep just go ahead and act like IQ doesn’t also play on one of the best defensive teams in the league and looking at advanced stats, IQ has been a much more prominent perimeter defender for his career than Cole Anthony has.
And what did IQ do in those 27 games compared to Cole’s 103? This alone makes him worth way more since you can either start him or make him your sixth man. Not a lot of players have that flexibility and can allow teams to create more versatile lineups on a game to game basis.