Source: Mavs Host Immanuel Quickley for NBA Draft Visit
The Dallas Mavericks' pre-NBA Draft interview process is underway, with a source telling DallasBasketball.com/SI that Immanuel Quickley has visited with the team.
Our scouting-report thoughts on Quickley:
The 6-3 combo guard played slightly out of position alongside two lead guards at Kentucky this season, and still won SEC Player of the Year on 16 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal per game on shooting splits of 42/43/92.
Quickley, 21, who boasts a 6-7 wingspan, poses a great combination of a high floor and above-average ceiling. As shown in recent drafts with Tyler Herro and Devin Booker, Kentucky has an art to manipulating the talent that players get to display due to the pro environment and splitting of duties. If Dallas - which owns picks No. 18 and 31 - can snag Quickley in the draft, the Mavs might find themselves coming out of Draft Night with one of the steals of the draft.
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Quickley grew into one of the top shooters in the country as a sophomore, which is where he made his case for being a first-round prospect. Teams were severely punished when they left him open for 3, and were almost equally punished when they closed out too hard on his shot, where he made them pay with his elite floater, as shown below.
While Quickley doesn’t have a noticeable first step, he is able to get to his spots with ease. His greatest strength in finding his shots comes from his off-ball movement, where he navigates screens and cuts at an advanced level for an underclassman. In an NBA that relies so heavily on screen actions and off-ball movement, Quickley’s offense should translate smoothly.
The area where Quickley needs to improve the most is as a finisher at the rim. While Quickley shot 43% from behind the arc, he shot just 5% better at the rim at 48%. This is severely below average, but his best counter for his poor finishing at the rim is his floater that he uses so well in between the mid-range area and the rim.
The most impressive thing about his offensive profile is that, while he was a wildly-successful shooter as a sophomore, he still has significant strides to make in his shot. His touch is impressive, indicated by his 92% mark from the line, but his form needs to be more fluid and reduce some minor movements and potentially raise his release point.
Defensively, Quickley could go either way in the NBA. His length and likely improved strength should bode well for him, as he is already strong on closeouts, but can often struggle against slashers. Off-ball, Quickley is smart in rotations and reads offenses, as well as passing lanes, at a high level. He should still be playable even if his defense is less than desired, and if he becomes a plus defender, his value can only rise.
As a potential two-way shooter, the fit is seamless in Dallas alongside Luka Doncic, providing him with a player who possesses the coveted combination of shooting, defense, and playmaking. Quickley's versatile skill-set can in theory allow him to be an instant plug-in to the Mavericks offense, should they draft him in November.
Look for Quickley to be a sudden riser as draft night approaches.
