Some experts were surprised that the Knicks have taken Quickley with the twenty-fifth choice, but if you look to her recruitment ranks of only two years ago, was one of the best players of the top 20-25 schools in the country before signing with Kentucky.
Quickley struggled a bit to join a stacked Kentucky team where manager John Calipari didn’t want to introduce him right away in a three-guard lineup. But instead of getting caught up in a difficult situation, Quickley accepted the program. He was awarded the most playing time and became SEC Player of the Year during his second season.
This is a sign of maturity. And no NBA team has better insight into Quickley’s work ethics and professionalism than the Knicks with Kentucky assistant Kenny Payne joining staff and strong front office ties with Calipari.
Draft experts have called the 2020 NBA Draft a crapshoot after the first picks. There were wide-ranging visions of where each prospect needed to fit. So just because Quickley wasn’t the name on everyone’s fake draft at issue 25 doesn’t mean he’s not worthy of that selection. Something that is showing in the beginning.