For much of the year, there have been plenty of worthy candidates vying for the most coveted acclaim for players in a bench role — the John Havlicek Sixth Man of the Year award. Players such as Malcolm Brogdon, Russell Westbrook (back when he was with the Los Angeles Lakers) and Norman Powell, among others, have each made strong cases to win the award at different points in the season. However, one player has been making a late-season surge to try and surpass his competition for the award: New York Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley.

Quickley, in particular, has been a starting-caliber player tearing up the competition for the Knicks off the bench. Beyond his ability to create his own shot and space the floor, he has provided the 42-31 Knicks with unparalleled energy and hustle, giving them the intangibles they need to sustain their strong play.

Thus, it should not come as a surprise that credible ESPN analyst Zach Lowe thought that the Knicks guard “might be the favorite” to win the Sixth Man of the Year Award.

“I think Immanuel Quickley might be the favorite now to win this award. He has been that good,” Lowe said in the latest episode of his podcast, The Lowe Post. “The Knicks have been way better with Quickley on the floor versus off the floor. That's been the case for years. Defensively and rebounding Quickley is just a menace to society.”

As of the moment, Boston Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon remains the favorite to win the acclaim. However, Zach Lowe pointed out that Brogdon's impact for the Celtics pales in comparison to the impact Quickley has for the Knicks.

“[Brogdon's] got the shooting advantage. [But] the Celtics have been good either way. This is almost unfair to Brogdon because it's demeriting him for playing on a better team with one superstar and one borderline All-NBA player at least in Jaylen Brown. Quickley just feels more essential to the Knicks' identity and feel and style than Brogdon does in Boston,” Lowe added.

“Quickley feels essential to the fabric of the Knicks in a way that Brogdon doesn't to the Celtics.”

Only time will tell, however, if voters end up agreeing with Lowe's sentiments.