NEW YORK — Searching for a point guard.
The Knicks have been plagued by this problem for years, with the revolving door of ballhandlers alternating in failure. While there’s still no clear solution for coach Tom Thibodeau, rookie Immanuel Quickley earned Friday’s label of “best hope.”
The Kentucky product logged his first start Friday and hit all the notes, scoring 22 points with five assists and five steals in the Knicks’ 119-83 domination over Cleveland in the preseason finale. With Quickley running the offense for his 29 minutes of playing time, the Knicks outscored Cleveland by 41 points. He was confident, orderly and quick, with a style that promoted ball movement.
Thibodeau wouldn’t commit to a starting lineup for Wednesday’s regular season opener in Indiana, but acknowledged Quickley has the staff’s attention.
“We base that on performance,” Thibodeau said when asked if Quickley will be part of the rotation. “So if he keeps doing the things that he’s doing, and he’s doing it in practice and he’s carrying it over to the games, he’s earning his way. And so we’ll see how it unfolds.”
The Knicks led by 23 after the first quarter, then 37 at the half. It was a wipeout and a confidence booster heading into the regular season.
Quickley had led the Knicks down the stretch of Wednesday’s comeback victory over the Cavaliers, and he picked up in the rematch where he left off with 11 points in the first quarter. With Elfrid Payton, Frank Ntilikina and Dennis Smith Jr. all resting, Quickley, the 25th pick last month, capitalized on his opportunity to run the offense.
It’s impressive considering Quickley played off the ball at Kentucky, and, like all rookies, didn’t have the benefit of a Summer League because of the pandemic.
“Just continue to do what he’s been doing,” Thibodeau said. “I’ve loved his approach from the moment we drafted him. He’s a great worker, he’s a smart kid. A terrific shooter. … Just a confident guy. Many people thought he couldn’t play on the ball and he’s shown that he’s very confident with the ball. And that’s the way he grew up. He played point growing up. He didn’t play the point that much in Kentucky because they played a three-guard system.”
The Cavaliers are hardly a juggernaut and Friday they rested Andre Drummond and Kevin Love. The Knicks, however, can still feel good about themselves after a 3-1 preseason. The win produced strong efforts from Kevin Knox (20 points, 6 for 7 from beyond the arc), Mitchell Robinson (12 rebounds, four blocks, zero fouls) and Julius Randle (11 points, 8 assists). Thibodeau clearly has some decisions to make with his starting lineup.
Payton had the edge at point guard after training camp but Quickley produced the best preseason. Robinson has made a case to start at center over Nerlens Noel, who missed his second straight game Friday with a minor injury. Thibodeau said he wanted to experiment with different lineups and combinations Friday, and he found a starting group that clicked in their minutes together: Quickley, Reggie Bullock, RJ Barrett, Randle and Robinson.
“You could say that about every player on the roster (being under consideration for a starting spot),” Thibodeau said. “But Quickley’s done a really good job and when he’s been on the floor the team has functioned extremely well. So we’ll talk about it as a staff and move forward from there. But he got our attention in practice. And when you practice well, you usually play well.”
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The Knicks will have to make a decision on Michael Kidd-Gilchrist without ever seeing him in a preseason game.
Kidd-Gilchrist missed the entire preseason, including Friday, because of an illness. The former No. 2 overall pick is on a non-guaranteed contract, but is still a good bet to make the final roster. If the Knicks keep Kidd-Gilchrist, they’ll need to release a player on a guaranteed contract to make room. Center Omari Spellman, who didn’t play Friday, is a candidate to be cut, according to sources.
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Starting shooting guard Alec Burks became a father again after his wife gave birth to a baby boy Thursday, according to a source. Burks, who signed a one-year, $6 million contract in the summer, missed the last two games.
“He’s a veteran, he’s hard playing, can play multiple positions, very good off the dribble as well, and then obviously his ability to put it on the floor, draw contact and also make rim reads, create easy shots for us,” Thibodeau said. “I think that veteran leadership, he doesn’t get rattled. I think it’s important for our team — he’s done a very good job of adapting well. He’s a guy that’s been around. I think he’s very good for our young guys.”
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