The Knicks’ new dynamic backcourt duo of veteran Derrick Rose and rookie Immanuel Quickley is already making an impact.
In 59 minutes on the floor together over three games — since Rose was acquired from the Detroit Pistons last week — the Knicks, led by 21-year-old point guard and the floor general 11 years his senior, have outscored their opponents by 42 points.
The Knick shave gone 2-1 over those three games, including a current two-game winning stretch that was extended Saturday night with a blowout win over the Houston Rockets in which Rose and Quickley were a +18 when on the floor together.
Rose put up 16 points and three assists in 23 minutes while Quickley went off for 22 points in 21 minutes — further building his already-increasing lore as the potential point-guard-savior of the future.
Acquiring Rose allowed the Knicks to check off multiple boxes in their rebuilding efforts. Not only does Rose provide a sizable upgrade at the point-guard spot over Elfrid Payton or Austin Rivers, but he has immediately been looked upon as a mentor to Quickley — a role he has taken and hit the ground running with.
And there has been more than enough of the ball to go around between the two point guards.
“It’s kind of like pickup, whoever gets it, gets it,” Quickley said of his relationship with Rose. “He told me if I get it, don’t look back at him, just go out and hoop and do what I do and I feel the same way for him. So it’s kind of like pick up. Whoever gets it, gets it.
“And we kind of play off each other and I feel like when you’re playing with somebody that’s good, or great, really, it just makes the game a lot easier.”
The more these two play together, the higher the Knicks’ ceiling can be — which is already a promising notion considering they are off to their best start through 28 games since 2017 and currently hold the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference.
They’re back in action on Monday night at the Garden against the Atlanta Hawks (7:30 p.m. ET).
