On March 1, New York Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley wasn't even on the board in the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year race.
Now, one week later, Quickley is the favorite to win the award.
Oddsmakers now list Quickley's odds at -160, putting him ahead of Boston Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon (+100), who was previously considered the front-runner.
Here's a look at the latest odds (via BetOnline):
PLAYER | ODDS |
Immanuel Quickley, Knicks | -160 |
Malcolm Brogdon, Celtics | +100 |
Norman Powell, Clippers | +2500 |
Bobby Portis, Bucks | +6600 |
Malik Monk, Kings | +6600 |
Tyrese Maxey, Sixers | +6600 |
So, how did Quickley go from long shot to front-runner basically overnight?
Since the NBA All-Star break, Quickley is averaging 20.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.4 threes and 1.1 steals, while shooting 50.5% from the field, 42.9% from three and 77.8% from the free-throw line.
In addition to putting up impressive stats, he is helping the Knicks win games. New York has won 11 of their last 13 contests, and the 23-year-old guard is playing a key role for the fifth-seeded team.
Quickley has played in 68 games this season, which is signifcantly more than Brogdon (55), Portis (54) and Powell (54).
Also, it never hurts to have a marquee performance on national television. On Sunday, Quickley led the Knicks to a double-overtime win over the top-seeded Celtics, finishing with 38 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 threes, 4 steals, 2 blocks and just 1 turnover on 53.6/41.7/75.0 shooting splits. While he didn't come off the bench in this game, it certainly put Quickley in the spotlight.
Last week, our Nekias Duncan broke down each of the NBA's award races, and he described Quickley as his "favorite reserve to watch this season" because "his growth has been the most fun to track."
Here's what Duncan had to say about Quickley's case for Sixth Man of the Year:
He isn't knocking down pull-ups at the same clip as last season (35.1% to 32.6%), but he's gotten much better inside the arc. The rim finishing is better. The floater is otherwordly; among 25 players to attempt at least 75 floaters this season, Quickley is No. 5 in field goal percentage (51.8%, up from 46.0% last year), per Second Spectrum.
Quickley has grown as a decision-maker, particularly when operating in ball-screens. And the defense? He deserves his flowers for sinking his teeth in on that end — and being darn good at it. His two-way impact has helped the New York Knicks outscore opponents by over six points per 100 possessions when he's on the floor this season.
It's possible that Brogdon will pass Quickley and re-emerge as the favorite. However, if Quickley finishes the season strong and doesn't log too many starts (he's already at 12), perhaps he can take home the John Havlicek Trophy at the end of the campaign.