Knicks' Immanuel Quickley Has 'Solved the Puzzle'

Immanuel Quickley averaged a career-high 14.9 points per game for the New York Knicks this season.

Jeremy Brener | Jul 25, 2023

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New York Knicks

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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Published Jul 25, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.