Indiana Pacers: 3 reasons Kyle O’Quinn is a great pickup
1. He wants to be there, and he wants to win
O’Quinn recently made headlines by unintentionally dissing his former team in an attempt to prop up his new one.
When asked by reporters about his decision to decline an offer to return to his hometown Knicks to join the Pacers, KOQ simply explained: “I wanted to play for something more than next year’s draft.”
Apparently, that quote was taken out of context, with O’Quinn himself taking to Instagram to at least somewhat explain what had happened, posting on his IG story “Don’t take that the wrong way y’all it’s all love.”
Kyle O'Quinn joins the #Pacers bench mob. Passed on an offer to return to hometown #Knicks "I wanted to play for something more than next year's draft." @WISH_TV pic.twitter.com/usqbometm8
— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) July 9, 2018
Whether or not this was actually a shot at his former employer is a different topic. Rather, it’s the quote itself that’s most important, as it opens a window into who O’Quinn is as a basketball player and what he’s looking to accomplish.
During his time in the NBA, O’Quinn has never experienced playoff basketball, and it appears to be getting under his skin. His willingness to join a playoff team shows where his priorities are at this stage in his career, which have him wanting to be a winner.
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That desire is a great sign for the Pacers. It’s an indicator of KOQ’s willingness to comply with the organization and its ultimate goal of competing for a championship in order to finally play for something bigger than himself.