The Best (Bench) Duo in the NBA: Immanuel Quickley and Josh Hart
The Knicks are riding a seven-game winning streak and they've got an unstoppable duo coming off the bench in Immanuel Quickley and Josh Hart.
It’s no secret that the New York Knicks have caught fire at the right time... but to be clear this isn’t some new revelation. It’s been something that’s been taking shape for almost three months now since head coach Tom Thibodeau decided to shrink his rotation to nine players. They’ve been playing top-10 basketball in the NBA during that stretch, sporting a +7.1 Net Rating in non-garbage time minutes (second only to the Grizzlies since December 4), according to Cleaning The Glass.
However, the Knickerbockers have turned it up to the highest notch since the middle of February.
Knicks’ fans went into the February 9 trade deadline wondering what upgrades general manager Leon Rose would make to a Knicks’ team that was trying to get out of the play-in tournament.
Would they ship a couple first-round picks north of the border for 3&D wing OG Anunoby? Was a bigger splash in order with Chicago free-falling in the standings and Zach LaVine possibly being on the trade market?
The night before the trade deadline on February 8, the Knicks swung a deal with the Portland Trail Blazers, acquiring Josh Hart in exchange for Cam Reddish – who had fallen out of favor with his second straight organization – Ryan Arcidacono, Svi Mykhailuk, and a protected first-round pick.
The acquisition of Hart wasn’t anything fancy. He wasn’t a star player. He wasn’t someone that normally lights up a box score. He’s a high-motor, high-IQ player who is perfect for a Tom Thibodeau-coached team... and he’s shown as such through seven games with the organization.
The Knicks have won seven straight games since Josh Hart made his Knicks’ debut against the Utah Jazz on February 11. The Knicks are outscoring opponents by SIXTEEN points per game during that span – the best points per game differential in the NBA since February 11. The Bucks are the only other team to go undefeated (6-0) during that span, outscoring opponents by 14.3 points per game.
Hart has also created the perfect batman-robin duo with bench spark Immanuel Quickley since his arrival to the Knicks. Quickley was already in the midst of playing fantastic basketball, averaging 16 points per game on 47.3% shooting and 38.3% shooting from three over his previous 26 games played, but there wasn’t anyone holding things down while the Knicks’ best players – All-Star Julius Randle and should-be-All-Star Jalen Brunson – were off the court.
Randle and Brunson were averaging over 27 points per game apiece and playing the best basketball of their careers as January began, but it wasn’t translating to winning. R.J. Barrett, who the Knicks tried to trade in the offseason for Donovan Mitchell and later extended, hasn’t taking that leap in Year 4. Quentin Grimes gets a few looks per game from three (unless he’s crushing the Brooklyn Nets’ defense), but he’s mostly just guarding a team’s best player. The Knicks needed to get Quickley a sidekick on the bench to carry the load while Randle and Brunson got their rest.
Hart and Quickley have been a deadly duo since teaming up together when the former was acquired from the Blazers a few weeks ago. Both are averaging double-digit scoring and shooting above 50% from the field, while sporting double-digit plus-minuses, since February 11.
Quickley since Feb. 11: 15.7 PPG, 52.6% FG%, 45.0% 3P%, +11.6 +/-
Hart since Feb. 11: 12.4 PPG, 61.5% FG%, 60.0% 3P%, +13.7 +/-
The two-man combo of Hart and Quickley has been picking apart teams on offense and defense over the last seven games, which can be shown by them leading the world in two-man Net Rating. Obviously, it’s a small sample size and it’s no surprise that the Knicks have a duo at the top during a seven-game winning streak, but when you watch these two guys do what they do, you can see just how much they impact winning together.
Highest Two-Man NetRtg since Feb. 11
Hart / Quickley: +23.6 NetRtg
J. Jackson Jr. / Bane: +20.1 NetRtg
Randle / Brunson: +19.4 NetRtg
Jokic / M. Porter Jr.: +17.8 NetRtg
(140+ minutes together during that span)
As you can see, Quickley can hurt you in virtually any way possible. He can drive on you, go up, and, instead of forcing up a bad shot, kick it out for a wide-open three. It’s no surprise that five of Hart’s 12 made threes (41.7%) since joining the Knicks have come via Quickley assists. Just plays more into one of Quickley’s greatest strengths: The ability to make high-quality reads, such as anticipating Robert Williams dropping into the paint and leading Hart wide open for a three.
And what isn’t shown in this clip? Josh Hart tipping a missed shot to Quickley near halfcourt. Just the little things turning into big things.
And then there’s what Hart can do — with and without the ball. And this play really reinforces that and the synergy between IQ and Hart. Hart sets a screen for Quickley, then gets the ball, and gets Quickley a look from three. But IQ doesn’t like the look, gives it back to Hart, and IQ relocates further into a corner for an open three. Having high-quality creators and connectors off the bench is so crucial.
Also, doesn’t that relocation look a lot like… Steph Curry? That’s IQ, folks.
Now, the Knicks aren’t going to win every game for the rest of the season, but they’ve shown their true colors lately. The team is gelling perfectly at the right moment in the season.
As previously stated, they have Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson playing their best basketball of their careers. They have two gunners off the bench – Immanuel Quickley and Josh Hart – who are making opponents’ lives miserable. They have their top-10 center in Mitchell Robinson back on the court and in the best shape of his NBA career. You’re getting quality minutes from Isaiah Hartenstein, Quentin Grimes, and Obi Toppin. Even R.J. Barrett is showing flashes of good.
Want to drive it into the paint? Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein are going to make that difficult. Want to try to make threes or drive inside the arc? You’ve got Immanuel Quickley, Josh Hart, and Quentin Grimes making you have second thoughts. On offense, the Knicks are going to throw everything at you. They’ve got ISO-ball savants Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson who can kill you from three and in and around the paint. Immanuel Quickley and Josh Hart can create and do just about everything. While worrying so much about them, you’ve got Quentin Grimes ready to hit a dagger in your face, drive to the basket with a layup or assisting to a big. The lob game is back with Obi Toppin. And when you think you’ve got all of the Knicks’ main options locked up, R.J. Barrett thinks it’s after the All-Star break in 2022 and can crush you. What if you made the Knicks miss a shot? Good luck battling it out with Robinson, Randle, and Hart... because they’re going to give you the time of your life.
Those are nine guys you feel confident in to give a team hell in a best-of-seven playoff series. They’ve shown for a few months, and especially in the last few weeks since acquiring Josh Hart, that they can hang with the heavyweights.
