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New York Knicks guard Emmanuel Quickley finished with 8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 3-for-6 shooting from the field and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc in Friday’s 121-112 win over the Detroit Pistons. While it wasn’t an explosive game, it was a step in the right direction after a terrible shooting slump.
Quickley was quiet in the first half of Friday’s game at the Garden, scoring 0 points and attempting just one shot. He wanted another night’s rest and continued with the holes of the games.
However, he kicked things into third gear in the second half and made a big impact defensively, knocking down some big timely buckets to secure the Knicks victory.
His bounce-back performance against Detroit ends a rough shooting slump for the third-year guard from Kentucky, who through the previous five games had averaged more rebounds than points (6.4 rpg, 6.0 ppg) from 3-point range.
Despite the struggles leading up to Friday night’s game, Quickley never showed signs of doubt. He stands poised and confident, and he turns the corner quickly (pun intended).
“If you put in the work it always comes back. I know I’m going to do it.”
Emmanuel Quickley on his struggles via The Athletic
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau talked about the importance of Quickley’s resurgence from beyond the arc from a confidence standpoint after Friday night’s win.
“Getting some easy buckets. You can run the floor hard, or move without the ball, and when you get a couple of easy buckets it gets your confidence going and things change quickly.
Tom Thibodeau regained Emanuel Quickley’s confidence with the MSG Network
The Knicks’ Emmanuel Quickly is still improving in other aspects
Quickley averaged just 7.5 ppg while shooting 34.8 percent from the field and 28.3 percent from 3-point range.
However, despite his regression in the shooting department, it’s worth noting that Quickley is improving in other areas of impact, especially defense and rebounding.
Quickley is averaging 5.3 rebounds per game this season, double the previous career high of 3.2 rpg he put up last season. He showed a ferocious rush on the glass, which is incredibly impressive given his small 6’2″ frame.
The 2020 first-round pick put his rebounding skills on full display with a career-high 16 rebounds on Nov. 2 against the Atlanta Hawks.
Quickley is having his best defensive season to date, averaging nearly a steal per game and holding a defensive rating of 100.5, both career bests for the 23-year-old. He continued to be an impact player in every game even while enduring a shooting slump.
Overall view
While Friday was a good sign of Quickley’s motivation, the Knicks are confident his in-game confidence will return to 100% once his on-court success is sustained. Currently, Quickley’s overall season is not favorable for both him and the Knicks, so the hope is that he can quickly return to his best (pun intended).
Quickley will look to improve on Friday’s game when the Knicks take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.
Follow me on Twitter @DylanBacker_ For more Knicks coverage.
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