For Knicks' Immanuel Quickley and Donte DiVincenzo, lineups and roles don't matter
New York Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley, right, drives against Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 29, 2023, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Credit: John Raoux
ORLANDO, Fla. — With Wednesday’s loss in Oklahoma City, there were, as usual, calls all over social media for the Knicks to swap the starting lineup, to make a trade, to do something to shift their fortunes. But when the game was over, Tom Thibodeau, as usual, remained insistent that there is no need to panic.
The cries this time were for Immanuel Quickley to start or at least get more minutes. That's an understandable gripe, as Quickley often provides instant offense when he takes the floor. Thibodeau mostly dismisses the questions and goes with his gut — and reams of data.
Asked about the possibility of changing Quickley’s role, he said, “Just keep doing what he does. His strength is the versatility. I think he can come off the bench. He can start. You can play him with the ball. You can play him off the ball.
“And that’s his strength, I think, that versatility. So we have a number of guys who are capable of starting. Some guys start, some guys finish. Some guys do both. So that’s really the way we’re using all our wings. Put the team first, and that’s what we’re asking them to do.”
But it’s not as if Thibodeau isn’t willing to make a move. Last season, the fortunes for the franchise shifted when he removed Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker from the rotation. As the Knicks readied to take the court against the Magic on Friday night, they had reached 10 games since inserting Donte DiVincenzo in the starting lineup and moving Quentin Grimes to the second unit.
For the most part, the players take the same tack as Thibodeau — that the roles don’t matter. As a starter, DiVincenzo has fit well, not receding into the background as Grimes did with the ball-dominant starters and, maybe most importantly, shooting 51.3% from three-point range.
“I think I've said it before, I'm just a basketball player,” DiVincenzo said. “Put me wIth any lineup, I'm gonna figure it out. It's my third team in two years, so I shouldn't say I'm used to it, but figuring it out, making it work. And just trying to figure out guys. Playing with and figuring out Mitch [Robinson], and then Mitch goes down. There's familiarity playing on the second unit with Isaiah {Hartenstein]. Starting those two games when [Grimes] went down early gave me a bit of a jump-start when it happened. But like I said, I'm just a basketball player. It doesn't matter who's in there when I'm in there. Just trying to play the right way and pick my spots.”
“Same thing. I think he came in and he's really shot the ball well,” Thibodeau said. “And his versatility is a strength as well, in terms of you can put the ball in his hands, you can play him off the ball. He guards well. He creates space for us. He plays fast. He can create advantages for us. He can get downhill on the second side. So those are some of the things that we liked and I also think it's helped Quentin. Quentin's played really well with our second unit, and our second unit plays a little bit differently.”
Quickley dismissed the talk about lineups and roles Wednesday night, noting, “I don’t get into that stuff. I watch film on the team I’m about to play, work hard, and when I get on the court try to do the best I can.”
The real move for the Knicks was made in the summer when they signed DiVincenzo and dealt away Obi Toppin, giving them a more versatile but smaller team.
“I don't think I replaced Obi at all,” DiVincenzo said. “I've seen that a bunch, but I don't think I replaced Obi, I don't think I was his replacement. I think I was somebody that was on the free-agent market that they felt fit their team and could fit seamlessly, and I think that's what's happened.
“For our size, I think overall we just have to do a better job rebounding no matter who's on the court. But you have guys like Josh Hart who can step into that role as well and go get rebounds. But overall, I think it's just a will to get the basketball. It doesn't matter how big you are. If you look at OKC, they played five guards at one point, five wings. That's the way the NBA is. It doesn't matter who's on the court. You have to have a will, you have to hit them first and go get the ball.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
