Immanuel Quickley is in no hurry to forget his time working under Tom Thibodeau.
The New York Knicks boss took home a different kind of Coach of the Year title in anonymous poll of NBA players conducted by The Athletic, as the pool named Thibodeau the opposing coach it'd least like to play for. Thibodeau's demanding practices and lofty minutes expectations reportedly earned him the title for the third straight season.
Quickley came to Thibodeau's defense on the FanDuel web series "Run It Back," labeling his former coach as a "great guy."
"He was great to play for," the current Toronto Raptor said. "The practice part, guys just don't like practicing. I'm not one of those guys, but if you don't like practice, he's not for you."
Fortunately, Quickley appeared to at least somewhat enjoy Thibodeau's preparation, recalling that even morning shootarounds on game days would turn into workouts. It certainly set Quickley on a path to a sustainable and impactful NBA career since he arrived in the Association as a first-round pick in 2020.
Quickley was a finalist for last season's Sixth Man of the Year Award with the Knicks and has averaged 13.7 points with 3.5 assists in a four-year stretch to date. The Kentucky alum was traded north with RJ Barrett in December in the deal that brought OG Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa stateside. Quickley nonetheless holds a strong reputation among Knick fans for his contributions off the bench and living up to his unexpected first-round billing.
It's perhaps shocking not to see Thibodeau included among the Coach of the Year finalists this time around, as he guided the Knicks to 50 wins and the second seed on the Eastern Conference playoff bracket despite dealing with several major injuries. Thibodeau will get a chance to keep silencing his critics on Sunday when the Kicks continue their first-round playoff series with the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center (1 p.m. ET, ABC).
More must-reads: