The Knicks’ bench was supposed to be a weapon — one of their major strengths.
It hasn’t worked out that way in the postseason because the engine to the second unit — Sixth Man of the Year runner-up Immanuel Quickley — has been stuck in neutral.
After setting career-highs in scoring (14.9), rebounding (4.2), field-goal percentage (44.8) and minutes played (28.9) in the regular season, Quickley has been a shell of that player in the playoffs.
He’s averaging just 8.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting a woeful 35.2 percent from the field in only 22.1 minutes per game.
He was on the floor in Game 2’s victory for only nine minutes.
One area where Quickley has struggled is around the basket.
During the regular season he shot 60.4 percent from 5 feet and in on 2.1 field-goal attempts per game, but just 40.4 in the playoffs on 0.7 attempts.
“I think just make sure we continue to find him when he’s open. I know I’ve got to take that into account myself,” Josh Hart said Thursday. “There were a lot of times where I’ve had the ball after a defensive rebound and sometimes [I have] tunnel vision at the rim and I’m missing him when he’s wide open for corner 3s or running into 3s on the wing. Got to continue to find him when he’s open, continue to give him confidence, give the ball to him and let him go out there and play his game.”
Part of this could be related to the lineup and rotation changes coach Tom Thibodeau has made when Quentin Grimes suffered a contused right shoulder in Game 3 of the opening-round series victory against the Cavaliers.
He moved Hart into the starting lineup, and has kept him there.
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Quickley and Hart thrived together with the second unit, producing a plus 13.2 NET rating in 25 regular-season games when they shared the court.
Then again, Quickley and Grimes were plus-10.8 in 67 games and Quickley struggled in the first three games against the Cavaliers as well, before his Game 5 breakout of 19 points.
“Like the thing is in Quick’s case, he’s done both,” Thibodeau said. “He’s played with the starters quite a bit. He’s played with the bench quite a bit. And Quick’s a basketball player. He can play the point, can play the 2 does everything. So don’t overthink it. Stay aggressive.”