Knicks†Jalen Brunson not surprised by Immanuel Quickleyâ€s success with Raptors

Immanuel Quickley just needed his chance.

The young point guard was as a spark plug off the bench for the Knicks his first four seasons, finishing in the top-10 of Sixth Man of the Year voting twice.

Due for a big contract, though, New York decided to ship him out of town.

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Quickley was traded to the Raptors alongside fellow RJ Barrett as part of the OG Anunoby deal nearly two years ago.

The 26-year-old has taken full advantage of his opportunity since then.

He missed some time to injury but established himself as a starter in Torontoâ€s lineup, producing 17.0 points and 5.2 assists over his first season and a half with the team.

Quickley has been able to stay healthy to this point this year — putting together 16.0 points, 6.3 assists, and 4.6 rebounds across the first 21 games of the season.

Though some around the game may be surprised by the Kentucky-productâ€s growth, his former teammate certainly isnâ€t.

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“The way heâ€s worked on his game since Iâ€ve seen him and even before then,†Jalen Brunson said. “Hearing about his work ethic and everything, nothing surprises me — the way heâ€s been playing and what heâ€s been able to do has been great.

“This is the opportunity heâ€s been looking for and heâ€s been showing out. I have nothing by respect for him, thatâ€s my guy. The way our relationship is we go out there, we compete but Iâ€m always rooting for him.â€

Quickly gave the MSG-faithful a blast from the past returning to the Big Apple on Sunday, finishing just shy of a double-double (19 PTS, 8 AST) while knocking down 50 percent of his shots (7-of-14).

Heâ€ll face Brunson and the Knicks again next week in the NBA Cup Quarterfinals.

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