The Knicks’ depth on the standings will be tested even worse against the Orlando Magic on Thursday night.
Rookie Immanuel Quickley will miss the game due to a sore left ankle, the Knicks announced and along with fellow point guards Elfrid Payton (strained right leg), Derrick Rose (health and safety protocols) and Austin Rivers (personal reasons) along the margin.
Quickley has started the past two games against Brooklyn and Philadelphia, but Frank Ntilikina is likely to replace him against the Magic. Reserve guard Alec Burks has also spent some time on the ball lately, and the Knicks (20-21) are running much of their offense through power forward Julius Randle, who leads the team with 5.8 assists per game.
The little-used point guard Jared Harper, who has not appeared in a game since December 31, can also see action after spending time with Westchester in the G-League bubble.
Quickley said after Tuesday’s loss to the 76ers that he injured his ankle in the first quarter, but he stayed in the game and ‘just ran it’.