It’s been less than a week since the New York Knicks acquired point guard Derrick Rose in a trade with the Detroit Pistons, but he’s already shown that he can play well alongside rookie guard Immanuel Quickley.
Rose and Quickley have played just three games together, which resulted in wins over the Washington Wizards and Houston Rockets and a two-point loss to the Miami Heat. In their 59 minutes on the floor together in those games, the Knicks have outscored opponents by 42 points, according to NBA.com
Against the Rockets on Saturday, Quickley finished with 22, which is tied with Julius Randle for the highest on the team, and added four rebounds and two assists. Rose, in his second stint with the Knicks, added 16 points, a rebound, and three assists, with New York outscoring Houston by 18 points with the two guards on the court. The 21-year-old out of Kentucky was all praises for his new backcourt partner’s impact on both ends.
“On offense it’s somebody else who can make plays, help make the game easier for myself, to score and make the game easier to facilitate,” Quickley said, per Ian Begley of SNY.com. “He’s a good shooter and can get to his spots as well. And then on defense he guards so it helps me a lot on defense, whether it be showing me something on the help side or on the ball the defense.”
It’s only a small sample size, but the chemistry between the duo of Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley should be a promising sign for head coach Tom Thibodeau and the Knicks. New York, which has a 13-15 record and ranks seventh in the Eastern Conference standings, play the Atlanta Hawks in their next game on Monday at Madison Square Garden, with their two guards hoping to continue their strong start together.
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