Knicks' Immanuel Quickley Has 'Solved the Puzzle'

New York Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley is coming off the best season of his career so far. The third-year pro out of Kentucky averaged a career-high 14.9 points per game while shooting 37 percent from beyond the arc en route to placing second in the Sixth Man of the Year vote.

Not only is he scoring more often than ever; he's doing it at a high efficiency.

"Like a Wheel of Fortune winner, Quickley solved the puzzle this past season," Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey said of Quickley when listing the Knicks' most intriguing young talents. "Long a solid source of two-way activity, the combo guard managed to pair his trademark frenetic defense with (by far) his best efficiency to date. His 57.8 true shooting percentage dwarfed his previous best (55.7), and he also hit career-high levels in player efficiency rating (16.3) and win shares per 48 minutes (.137)."

Quickley is playing his best basketball at the right time. He's about to enter the final season of his rookie contract, and he should expect to get paid a year from now.

“He is going to want nine figures,” one league executive told Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports. “That’s for four years. I can’t say the Knicks will go that high but they might have to. He is not a guy you want to send to restricted free agency.”

Considering the fact the Knicks already are paying Jalen Brunson nine figures, it will be a difficult decision for the front office. However, if Quickley continues his trajectory of improving both his scoring average and efficiency, it could actually make the Knicks' decision easier ... or perhaps net them the apparently desired elite talent they've been chasing.

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