Immanuel Quickley is a Knicks’ Draft Steal and Must Become a Starter
Column - February 17, 2021
While playing at the collegiate level for the University of Kentucky Wildcats, spearheaded by legendary head coach John Calipari, Immanuel Quickley received many positive remarks for his play — gamer, competitor, talented combo-guard, active floor general, solid rebounder, defensive maven and Royal Ivey with a three-point shot. These qualities were also present on his draft card upon declaring in 2020. However, the various credible NBA draft graders seemed to look the other way on Quickley’s selection to the Knicks at 25th overall, who had to move around picks to get him. Highly followed outlets like CBS Sports, Yahoo Sports and SB Nation all felt like Quickley’s selection in the late first round was premature, dishing out C and D grades for the pick.
The ultimate reality is that they were completely wrong.