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Rookie point guard Immanuel Quickley is facing his first NBA slump with the Knicks.
The 25th-overall pick in the 2020 draft out of Kentucky had generated a buzz after a strong preseason, and then by scoring 16 points in 19 minutes in a Jan. 4 win in Atlanta in his first game back from a hip injury suffered in the season opener in Indiana.
Quickley has totaled just 10 points on 2-for-24 shooting from the floor over his past four games, however, including nine misses in 10 field-goal attempts — and all six 3-point tries — in Monday’s 109-88 loss in Charlotte.
“I thought our bench, particularly in the first half, played really well. I liked the way, even though Quick didn’t shoot the ball well, I thought he played well,” Tom Thibodeau said after the game about Quickley, who registered three points, four rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes.
After Sunday’s loss to Denver, Thibodeau had noted that Quickley “has just got to settle down” on the court.
“Obviously he’s a great shooter. I think he was in a really good rhythm before his injury. So he’s still working his way back,” Thibodeau said. “There will be some ups and downs, but he’ll be fine.”
Starting small forward Reggie Bullock missed the game with a sore right hip, joining Alec Burks (ankle), rookie Obi Toppin (calf), Frank Ntilikina (knee) and recently signed Taj Gibson, who still is awaiting COVID-19 clearance, as unavailable.
The Westchester Knicks selected 6-11 center Justin Patton with the ninth pick in the G-League draft, but he remains free to sign with any NBA team. Patton was the 16th-overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft by Chicago and immediately traded to Minnesota in the Jimmy Butler deal. He appeared in one game for the Timberwolves under Thibodeau in 2017-18.
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