Knicks' Immanuel Quickley: Sixth Man of the Year Favorite?
New York Knicks point guard Immanuel Quickley is approaching his fourth NBA season, arguably the most important in his career so far: facing free agency next summer, Quickley needs another strong season to capitalize on the opportunity he has next offseason to make a lot of money.
Winning the Sixth Man of the Year award would undoubtedly help.
Quickley is slated to come off the bench this year for the Knicks with Jalen Brunson occupying the starting point guard role once again ... and some ESPN experts believe he could thrive in that role. In a poll of experts from the Worldwide Leader, Quickley was named the fifth-likeliest player to win the award behind Chris Paul (Golden State), Austin Reaves (LA Lakers), Russell Westbrook (LA Clippers), and Tyler Herro (Miami).
Given the fact that two future Hall-of-Famers and a pair of Conference Finals participants are among the top four candidates, Quickley should definitely still be considered a contender for the award. He was the runner-up for the award last season, coming in second behind Boston's Malcolm Brogdon.
This past season, Quickley averaged 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists for the Knicks, and he is projected to grow in the coming season as New York continues to build chemistry. If Quickley can keep this pace up and put the foot on the gas with a contract year upon him, he might be able to take the award outright and force the Knicks to find the money and space to keep him in New York.
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