Immanuel Quickley’s selection with the 25th overall choice of the most recent project has just been greeted with a universal celebration.
But there’s a reason why the most accurate appraisal drafts aren’t the ones compiled immediately after the talent grab.
Even though Quickley wasn’t a first-round consensus prospect, New York has clearly found a keeper here. The freshman head guard is pumping in 10.0 points and 2.6 assists per night, and those numbers are on the rise. In his last four games, he has averaged 17.5 points and 4.3 assists with a slash of 50.0 / 45.0 / 87.5 and just 1.0 turnovers.
“He knows how to draw fouls. He can shoot. He plays with great enthusiasm and energy,” Jeff Van Gundy, former Knicks coach and current ESPN analyst, told New York Post’s Marc Berman. “This is a Charlie Ward-like pick for me. A guy who’s been caught low, but can be a good player for a long time – most likely a starter somewhere in his career. He’s a great draft pick “.