New York Knicks Sophomore Brushes Off Shooting Struggles

Getty Immanuel Quickley.

The New York Knicks have gotten off to a good start as a team, but not all of the players are having great seasons to go along with it.

New signings Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker both look solid, and Julius Randle is following up his All-Star campaign with another strong year. Obi Toppin has shown flashes of major talent, especially on the fast break, but there’s one player in particular who should be shining in the new offense but has instead had some issues.

Immanuel Quickley, who blossomed as a strong shooter last season, has struggled so far to start the season, but he doesn’t seem all that concerned about the slow start.

Slow shooting starts are common this year as James Harden and Damian Lillard both experienced it, so Quickley has some company with his struggles. However, he has the dreaded sophomore curse he’s trying to avoid as well.

Quickley Looks to Bounce Back

Getty

In his second year, Quickley has lower numbers across the board, but he’s not worried about it.

“I don’t think it’s really a slump,” said Quickley, according to the New York Post. “I haven’t made some shots, but it’s a long season. It’s not a 10-game season. It’s an 82-game season. I just continue to stay in the gym, work hard, trust God and I’ll keep my confidence high.”

Through 10 games, Quickley is averaging 6.3 points per game on 31.3 percent shooting from the floor and an even worse 25 percent from three. For what it’s worth, his minutes are down this season as well as he’s logging just over 15 minutes per game this season versus 19.4 per game last year.

Last season, Quickley shot a very respectable 38.9 percent from three, and it was expected that he’d take another leap forward this season, especially with the Knicks really letting the threes fly now.

“It’s an 82-game season,” he said. “I’m not too worried about it. That just means I’ll play great the rest of the season if I’m not playing great right now. They just told me to be myself, which means have confidence, play hard and keep your energy on the floor. That’s what I continue to do.”

Knicks Have a Tough Road Ahead

GettyJulius Randle drives against the Raptors.

After the Sunday night loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Knicks are right back at it against the Philadelphia 76ers on November 8.

There’s not a ton of time for a turnaround, but since this is the second night of a back-to-back, that could mean more minutes for the bench. This means it could be a big night for Quickley and the rest of the bench squad.

It’s a tough test against the 76ers, a team the Knicks have already defeated this season. It will likely be another battle among the two teams as they are both projected playoff teams and the Knicks will want to keep on proving they belong in the same conversation as the rest of the juggernauts in the east.

The action kicks off at 7 p.m. ET, so it’ll be interesting to see if Quickley can end the struggles.

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