After the trade, there was some trepidation among Knicks fans that Rose would eat in the minutes Quickley, the 25th pick in the November NBA draft, could play.
Quickley, who entered the game on Tuesday averaging 12 points as a rookie and pulling 36.3% from 3 points, was impressive in his rookie season. He has shown flashes of the play of one of his idols of him, veteran guard Lou Williams, in terms of being a solid 3-point shooter who is also adept at drawing fouls and hitting floats in lane.
If Tuesday’s match was any indication, however, Quickley’s pivot point is sure forward. And, for his part, Rose was expansive in his praise of the rookie. After the trade, he has stated on multiple occasions that he is thrilled to play alongside Quickley.
“It shouldn’t be too hard to play with him,” Rose said. “We’re similar. He’s getting a double team in his rookie year. There aren’t too many rookies getting that kind of attention. For him to see that kind of advance, it’ll make his game better. The game’s going to slow down more. And listen. This is the best thing about him: listen, with this, you always have room for improvement”.