BROOKLYN – While watching any Nets game this season, Quincy Acy is pretty hard to miss.
He is the ultimate hype man-turned-professional basketball player. Some of his celebrations on the bench are legendary.
Like this one:
Or this one:
Bringing energy to the crowd and his teammates is one of the main reasons why he believes he’s on the team and it comes natural to the 27-year-old.
“I love all of my teammates. We’ve been through a lot,” Acy explained. “I support them in everything that they do. I love to see them succeed. Whenever they make a good play, I want them to know that I see it and they feed off of it.”
He added, “I love to be goofy that’s who I am, I just try to show it.”
Recently, Acy has been grabbing attention for his game-changing play on the court too. It is well-deserved for the humble 6-foot-7 forward, who continues to follow Kenny Atkinson’s instructions for him – even if it is out of his comfort zone.
After being stuck in a shooting slump for almost two months, Acy has impressed in his last five games as he’s averaged 9.2 points, 3.2 rebounds while shooting an eye-catching 61 percent from the field and 55 percent on three pointers.
The Nets head coach has pushed Acy to take advantage of open looks from behind the arc and the power forward is attempting a career-high 3.9 three-pointers per game. His previous high was 2.6 attempts, which came in the 2016-17 campaign – his first season in Brooklyn. The bulk of Acy’s shots come from outside of the arc, as opposed to inside [1.2 two pointers per game] – something he’s had to adjust to.
“He wants me to be super aggressive so [ I will be],” he said with a grin. “I feel like if I take four or five threes, that’s really aggressive [for me], but he wants me to take like 10.
“It’s a new role for me, it’s a lot different but I’ll do anything I can to help the team win.”
The new approach might have taken a toll on Acy at first.
In November, he shot just 24 percent and early on in December, he faced similar struggles. Acy admits his shooting slump affected him at times, but he never stopped in believing in his ability. He was also surprised at the fact that his coaches and even his teammates continued to encourage him to take advantage of open opportunities. It motivated him to refocus on the basics in training so he wouldn’t let them down.
“Everyone just kept on telling me to keep on shooting, so I got a good support system,” he said.
Acy’s ability to space the floor was crucial in the Nets’ upset victory over the Timberwolves on Wednesday night. In his postgame press conference, Atkinson made sure to highlight Acy’s impact in Spencer Dinwiddie’s late game heroics, including the winner with 9.7 seconds remaining.
“We kept Quincy in just to give him [Dinwiddie] some space,” the coach said. “That gives Spencer a lot more space to get to the rim and make plays.”
It’s not the first time the coach has make sure to note Acy’s effect on a game, he’s been highlighting him in both pre and postgame pressers as he tries to showcase just how important he is to the team. It is something that the forward appreciates.
“For him to have that faith in me, that says a lot,” Acy said. “That patience in me, a lot of other people wouldn’t have that. A lot of people don’t have that.”
It’s definitely paying off as the Nets are 3-2 during Acy’s recent uptick in form.