The New York Knicks are coming off their most successful season in years. Not only did the Knicks make the playoffs for just the second time since 2013, but they also came just two wins away from barging into the Eastern Conference Finals. A major reason for the Knicks’ resurgence is Immanuel Quickley, who could soon be inking a big new deal with New York, now that the team has already taken care of Josh Hart.
The Knicks signed Quickley to a four-year, $10.80 million rookie scale contract in 2020 and have picked up each of the team’s last two club options on the former Kentucky Wildcats star, including the one for the 2023-24 NBA season worth $4.17 million. It’s high time for the Knicks to think about and make a decision on Quickley, who will be a restricted free agent by the end of the next season, provided that he’s still without an extension by then.
Immanuel Quickley’s 2022-23 NBA season
Quickley’s best season so far in his nascent NBA career is easily the last one. In the 2022-23 campaign, he had career-highs in points, rebounds, and steals. He also significantly improved his shooting despite a bigger share of the load on offense. His win shares per 48 minutes jumped from .113 to .137 and his value over replacement player more than doubled from 1.0 a season before to 2.1.
The culmination of everything he did in Knicks threads was a second-place finish in the the voting for the Sixth Man of the Year Award. He lost to Boston Celtics’ reserve Malcolm Brogdon, but Quickley undeniably shined and put himself in a position to secure the bag just like teammates Jalen Brunson and Hart did.
Knicks’ backcourt outlook in the 2023-24 season
The Knicks are pretty much set at the point guard position with Brunson leading the charge. As long as he’s healthy, he will be the PG1 in the Big Apple. Quickley, who had 21 starts last season, will have to continue being in the shadow of Brunson, though, that shouldn’t stop him from getting attention. When Brunson was on the floor without Quickley, the Knicks posted a -2.17 net rating. When Quickley was on the cpurt and Brunson was off, New York had a +4.86 net rating. When both guards are sharing the floor, the Knicks registered a +11.82 net rating.
Also in the Knicks’ backcourt are Quentin Grimes and Donte DiVincenzo. Evan Fourner is still on the roster but he could be shipped away befor the start of the new season.
