The New York Knicks have quickly turned things around, looking like one of the best teams in the NBA since their trade with the Toronto Raptors. While there are a few flaws on the roster that still need fixing, the team has three weeks until the deadline to fill them.
One of the holes on the roster was created by the trade. To acquire a player of OG Anunoby’s caliber, the Knicks had to give up some value as well. Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett were traded to Toronto as a result.
While Anunoby has proven to be a better fit for what the Knicks are looking for at small forward over Barrett, replacing Quickley has proven difficult. The lack of shot creators on this roster has become painfully apparent with Jalen Brunson missing the last two games because of a calf injury.
For the last few seasons, that is a spot Quickely would have filled. The Knicks now need to find a replacement for him, which is easier said than done. A first-round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Quickley was considered a bad pick by many at the time but has blossomed into an excellent two-way player.
In a goodbye letter to the Knicks and their fans, Quickley thanked a lot of people for helping him get to the point he has reached today. Head coach Tom Thibodeau received a shoutout, as well as assistant coach Johnnie Bryant.
The shoutout from Quickley that may surprise some people was the one for power forward Julius Randle. Randle has been painted by some in the media as a hard teammate to work with, but he is one that Quickley certainly gravitated toward and looked up to during their time together.
“I also started looking around me at how other guys moved, who had been in this league longer than me, just having a mindset that I could always be adding to my game. Julius was a big one for me.
I remember I got a text from him the night I got traded. He said, ‘It don’t matter where you at. I got you, man. Anything you need.’ With all the craziness of the night, that was really reassuring, but it especially meant something coming from him.
He’s another guy that’s been like a brother to me. I’ve learned so much from him. One of the biggest things I think I’ve taken away, especially because he’s been around Kobe, is just his mindset. Sometimes in the gym, anybody can vouch, I’ll just watch him — how he prepares, how he goes about his work and his daily habits. How he goes through his workouts.
From time to time, I’d just text him to pick his brain like, ‘What’s your mindset before a game?’ When you’ve been around the best, you know what it takes in a different way, and he’s always willing to share any knowledge he has.
That’s my guy, always,” Quickley wrote in his letter on The Player’s Tribune.
That certainly doesn’t sound like the Julius Randle many people bash on a nightly basis on social media. Quickley attributing a lot of the success he has had in his career and picking Randle out among the many teammates he had should help change his perception for a lot of people.
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