The Celtics found a great addition to their roster with rookie guard Payton Pritchard, who they selected with pick no. 26 in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft. The Knicks appear to have found a quality spin player with the pick before Pritchard.
New York acquired Kentucky guard Immanuel Quickley via exchange after being selected by the OKC Thunder with the No. 25, and is making a good case to start as a point guard for coach Tom Thibodeau. Quickley played very well against the Celtics, scoring 17 points at shooting 7 for 12 and distributing eight assists. He was attacking the paint, making open shots for teammates and playing at a fast pace.
Quickley has now scored more than 17 points in three consecutive games. He scored 23 career points in Friday’s defeat to the Cavaliers and shed 19 points in a loss to the Nets last week. Much of the hype for the Knicks involved rookie forward Obi Toppin, who New York took the number 8 overall. Quickley has been the best player so far, and the Knicks would do well to steadily increase his role over the course of the season.