Immanuel Quickley Is About To Become A Lot of People's Favorite NBA Player

I will never forget CBS Sports giving the New York Knicks a D+ for drafting Immanuel Quickley with the no. 25 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Since then, he’s become a microwave scorer capable of putting up extraordinary numbers in limited minutes off the bench. He would’ve won the Sixth Man of the Year award last season if every NBA awards voter hadn’t been born and raised in Boston leading to Malcolm Brogdon of the Celtics winning.

But Quickley was never going to shine as bright as he could in New York.

When Leon Rose became president, the plan was to always sign Jalen Brunson.

Jalen’s dad, Rick Brunson, was Leon Rose’s first client in the 90’s. Leon Rose is literally Jalen Bronson’s godfather. RICK BRUNSON IS ONE OF THE KNICKS ASSISTANT COACHES.

There was nothing Quickley could ever do to crack the starting rotation.

He was always going to bump his head on the nepotism ceiling. Not only was IQ never going to be the starting point guard but because Jalen Brunson is 6-foot tall, the Knicks couldn’t pair him in the backcourt with Quickley who is only about a foot or two taller. Brunson’s size made it impossible to start Quickley. They’d be the worst defensive team in the league.

But now Immanuel Quickley has a new home in Toronto that allows him to finally reach his full potential as an NBA starting point guard.

Immanuel Quickley. Toronto Raptor.

(via @Raptors)pic.twitter.com/OzrZNKLC6s

— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) January 4, 2024

Here’s what Quickley did in Toronto’s 116-111 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night:

26 points
5-for-8 from 3
3 rebounds
5 assists
1 block
+9 +/-

He’s finally in a situation where his talents will be appreciated. Here’s what Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said about IQ:

“He fits great. It’s a guy that can do so much with the ball. His shooting is really something that makes a difference for us.”

Darko went as far as honoring Quickley in the locker room after the game.

Quick doesn’t know what to do 😭 pic.twitter.com/8FuviPGZ5F

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) January 4, 2024

This was never happening in New York.

What makes Immanuel Quickley so special?

Immanuel Quickley brings a joy to the game that most players don’t. One of my favorite moments in an NBA game is when Quickley hits a big 3 that causes the other team to take a time out and Quickley skips back to his team’s bench smiling ear to ear.

He’s like Sonic the Hedgehog with the ball ready to break into a full-speed sprint with the ball at any point. It’s like he’s vibrating out there. It’s like he shoots up adrenaline on the sidelines before he goes out there and he has to stay in motion or his heart with explode.

The best version of Quickley is in transition where he gets the opportunity to line up a 3-pointer without any real defensive pressure because all of the defenders assume he’s going to pass the ball or go to the rim or even wait for his other 4 teammates to get up court but nope, he’s pulling up with that one dribble 3 and it’s probably going in. And then he’s going to skip back on defense and smile in your face.

His shot selection is borderline reckless. It’s as if Immanuel Quickley doesn’t know there’s a 24-second shot clock and will launch up a 3 as soon as he crosses halfcourt. IQ with a full green light and without having to dump the ball off to Julius Randle in fear of him freaking out, could easily be an All-Star next season.

Once the Raptors inevitably move on from Pascal Siakam, Immanuel Quickley is going to convince himself he’s the No. 1 option and I firmly believe he could easily have a scoring burst like Tyrese Maxey is this year.

Immanuel Quickley plays basketball like he knows all of his shots are going to hit the bottom of the net and he’s almost laughing at his defenders for even bothering to be on the court with him.

And now that he’s in Toronto, we’re only a few weeks away from an Instagram photo of Quickley getting some shots up at Drake’s house. He’s going to have a celebrity girlfriend before the year ends.

Immanuel Quickley is about to become a star while RJ Barrett, the supposed future superstar, continues to look down at the ball while he’s dribbling and bricks wide open 3’s.