2: Immanuel Quickley
A lot can change in seven months. Not only did Immanuel Quickley’s name pop up in trade talks for Donovan Mitchell over the summer, but New York was reportedly shopping him a few months ago. Since then, he was named as a finalist for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award, coming up short to Boston’s Malcolm Brogdon.
Quickley has struggled offensively in the playoffs, with the exception of Game 3 where he scored 11 points (4-of-6). He looked completely out of it in Games 1 and 2 in Cleveland, but he was able to turn things around in the Garden. His impact on the defensive end in the past two games especially has stood out big-time. Darius Garland started to get hot in the second half of Game 4, but Quickley stepped in and stopped that, shifting the momentum back toward the Knicks.
It shouldn’t surprise Knicks fans to know that when IQ is on the court, New York allows fewer points than any other team does when another player is on the floor.
Thank goodness the Knicks didn’t meet one of the Jazz’s reported demands that included Quickley. According to The Athletic’s Tony Jones, New York “backed away” from that offer that also involved Toppin, Grimes, and McBride.
Immanuel Quickley will be extension-eligible during the summer, and fans should get their wish of IQ staying in NYC long-term.