After a long and incredible season, the New York Knicks have locked in their spot as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference and are set to face off against the Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs.
However, before the season, not many saw the Knicks being as successful as they were, with most pinning New York as a play-in team before they were able to even step on the court and play together.
Regardless, despite all the hate, doubt, and foolish predictions, the Knicks were able to defy the odds and blow their regular season expectations out of the water. This is thanks in part to players and coaches stepping up when the team needed them.
3 reasons the Knicks were able to defy their regular-season expectations
3. Immanuel Quickley’s breakout season
After two up-and-down seasons with New York, Immanuel Quickley finally put it all together in his third year. He became not only one of the best players on the Knicks but a player worthy of potentially receiving some hardware from the NBA for his work on the defensive side of the ball alongside his play off the bench.
Not only did Quickley put together what was by far his best offensive season, but he took a massive leap defensively and should be considered for an All-Defensive selection when voters are casting their votes.
In 80 regular season games, Quickley averaged 14.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists while shooting 44.9% from the field and 37.2% from three on 5.5 attempts. Before this season, Quickley struggled with consistency and efficiency, never shooting above 40% from the field, but he finally put it all together for an incredible season.
The spark Quickley has provided both off the bench and in the 20 games in which he started cannot be underestimated. Without Quickley, the Knicks would likely be a much worse team on both sides of the ball, and fans are very grateful for what he’s done this season.