Knicks’ Jalen Brunson isn’t surprised by Immanuel Quickley’s success with the Raptors

Emmanuel Quickley he just needed his chance.

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

Due to a large contract, however, New York decided to ship him out of town.

Announcement

Quickley was traded to the Raptors along with his partner RJ Barrett as part of the OG Anunoby agreement almost two years ago.

The 26-year-old has since made full use of his opportunity.

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

Quickley has managed to stay healthy so far this year, putting up 16.0 points, 6.3 assists and 4.6 rebounds in the first 21 games of the season.

While some in the game may be surprised by the Kentucky product’s growth, his former teammate certainly isn’t.

Announcement

“The way he’s been working on his game since I saw him and even before that,” Jalen Brunson he said. “Hearing about his work ethic and everything, nothing surprises me: the way he played and what he was able to do was great.

“This is the opportunity he was looking for and he showed off. I have no respect for him, this is my guy. The way our relationship is, we go out there, we compete but I’m always rooting for him.”

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

Next week he will face Brunson and the Knicks again in the NBA Cup quarterfinals.