Knicks' Quickley loses out to Celtics' Brogdon for Sixth Man award
New York Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley (5) looks to pass around Indiana Pacers forward Isaiah Jackson (22) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Wednesday, April 5, 2023. Credit: AP/Michael Conroy
Immanuel Quickley has gained acclaim this season and could earn a large payday this summer, but he didn’t get the award that he was hoping for. Quickley finished second in the voting behind Boston Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon for the John Havlicek Trophy as the NBA Sixth Man of the Year.
Brogdon finished with 408 points — including 60 first-place votes. Quickley had 326 points, named as the first choice on 34 ballots. Brogdon was on 88 total ballots and Quickley was on 82, left off of 18 ballots. Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis got the final six first-place votes.
Quickley averaged 14.9 points per game this season and became a huge part of the Knicks' success as the spark plug of the second unit. He was also a defensive stopper on the perimeter. But his versatility and value may have cost him votes as he stepped in as a starter in place of Jalen Brunson, RJ Barrett and Quentin Grimes — starting 21 of the 81 games he played in this season.
Brogdon played in just 67 games, but came off of the bench in all of them for the Celtics. He also averaged 14.9 points per game. In his 21 starts, Quickley averaged 22.6 points per game — including five games of at least 30 points.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
