The young point guard was a spark plug off the bench for the Knicks in his first four seasons, twice finishing in the top-10 of Sixth Man of the Year voting.
However, due to a large contract, New York decided to ship him out of town.
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Quickley was traded to the Raptors along with teammate RJ Barrett as part of OG Anunoby The deal was done about two years ago
The 26-year-old has since made the most of his opportunity.
He missed some time due to injury, but established himself as a starter in Toronto’s lineup, averaging 17.0 points and 5.2 assists in his first season and a half with the team.
Quickley has been able to stay healthy to this point this year – averaging 16.0 points, 6.3 assists and 4.6 rebounds in the first 21 games of the season.
Although some people around the game may be surprised by the Kentucky-product’s rise, his former teammates certainly aren’t.
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“The way he’s worked on his game ever since I’ve seen him and even before that,” Jalen Brunson Said. “Hearing about his work ethic and everything, I’m not surprised – the way he’s playing and what he’s able to do is great.
“This is the opportunity he’s been looking for and he’s showing it. I have nothing but respect for him, he’s my guy. The way our relationship is we go out there, we compete but I always support him.”
The MSG-faithful immediately got a blast from the past in their return to the Big Apple on Sunday, falling just short of a double-double (19 PTS, 8 AST) while hitting 50 percent of their shots (7-of-14).
He will face Brunson and the Knicks again next week in the NBA Cup Quarterfinals.
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