Immanuel Quickley has a simple goal for his third season in the NBA.
“I want to be able to shoot over 40 percent,” he said Saturday.
The Knicks guard has yet to reach that mark in his first two seasons in the league, shooting 39.5 percent as a rookie and 39.2 percent last season. He believes his work this summer, however, can get him over the hump. Quickley spent significant time working on his mid-range game and adding different types of finishes around the basket to compliment his strengths as a 3-point shooter and being able to score in the lane with his floater.
“I think it will help my field-goal percentage a lot,” he said. “Just being able to do everything when I’m on the floor is a versatility thing I like for myself.”
After an impressive first season with the Knicks, Quickley didn’t take the step forward some may have expected. His 3-point shooting percentage fell from 38.9 percent to 34.6 and he averaged just 11.3 points per game, a shade below his average the previous year. He did improve as a rebounder and playmaker, and finished the season strong, averaging 18.3 points and 6.4 assists over his last nine games.
“Knowing what I can do, always having that in the back of your mind, you always get a lot of confidence from game results, so I feel like that helps out a lot,” Quickley said.
Quentin Grimes (sore left foot) returned to practice Saturday on a limited basis after missing the last two workouts. Evan Fournier was back after receiving a rest day Thursday. Julius Randle was given a rest day and Jericho Sims didn’t practice due to “aches and pains,” coach Tom Thibodeau said.
The Knicks hosted two local college coaches on Saturday: Glenn Braica of St. Francis Brooklyn and Jim Engles of Columbia.