In his first full season with the Knicks, Mudiay appeared in 59 games, starting 42. He saw 27.2 minutes per contest, averaging 14.8 points (career high), 3.9 assists and 3.3 rebounds. Shooting 44.6 percent from the field, 32.9 percent from three and 77.4 percent from the charity stripe, the 22-year-old posted the best true-shooting percentage (53.1) of his career. He saw minutes in the 30s on 24 occasions. In those contests, he posted 19.5 points, 5.3 assists and 4.5 rebounds, plus a total of 16 steals and eight blocks. On Dec. 14, in a two-point win over the Hornets on the road, Mudiay had his best performance of the season. He contributed 34 points (14-21 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 5-6 FT), eight assists, three rebounds and two steals across 41 minutes. It was one of his three 30-point performances of the season and one of his 16 games with at least five assists. Mudiay had one double-double on the season. Thriving at Madison Square Garden, Mudiay posting a true shooting percentage of 56.3 at home, plus his offensive rating was six points higher per 100 possessions than on the road. The team thrived when he was on the court with Damyean Dotson, Mario Hezonja, Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson, as that group was plus-25.5 points per 100 possessions in a 24-minute sample. The Knicks finished the season 17-65.

Mudiay started the 2017-2018 season with the Denver Nuggets. He played in 42 games for the team before being traded to the New York Knicks on Feb. 8. With his new team, Mudiay played in 22 games and made 14 starts. His minutes per game rate increased from 17.9 to 22.4 following the trade. For the season as a whole, he averaged 8.6 points and 3.2 assists per game. In his first game with the Knicks, he handed out a season-high 10 assists against the Indiana Pacers. Mudiay also chipped in 14 points for the double-double. He came off the bench to score a season-high 22 points against the Philadelphia 76ers on March 28. While a member of the Nuggets, Mudiay tied a career-high with four three-point field goals in a 102-94 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Nov. 9. He finished the season with a .388 field percentage, which set a new career high.

Mudiay continued to be a valuable offensive presence for the emerging Nuggets in his second NBA season. That year, he played in 55 games, starting 41 of them, and averaged 11 points and 3.9 assists. Mudiay jumped out of the gate in full force, scoring 21 points while grabbing seven rebounds and adding four assists against Portland in just his second game of the season. A week later on Nov. 6, Mudiay scored 30 points and pulled in eight rebounds in a win over Boston. On Nov. 18 against Toronto, Mudiay scored 25 points and dished out nine assists. On Jan. 16, he recorded a career-high 13 assists in a win over Orlando.

Emmanuel Mudiay flashed offensive potential in his first season in The Association, learning the NBA game and playing a massive role for the Denver Nuggets. He made his debut on Opening Night, Oct. 28, and scored 17 points while dishing out nine assists as the Nuggets beat the Houston Rockets by 20. Just days later on Nov. 3, Mudiay recorded his first career double-double, scoring 12 points and adding 10 assists in an 11-point win over the Los Angeles Lakers. On Nov. 20 against Phoenix, the point guard scored a then career-high 26 points while adding five assists and three steals. On March 14 against Miami, Mudiay pitched in with perhaps his best offensive performance of the season. He scored 23 points and added 10 assists, his second career double-double. He did even better on March 23 against Philadelphia, scoring 27 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, a career high. He scored a season-best 30 points during a Mar. 10 win over the Suns. Mudiay finished the season averaging 12.8 points, 5.5 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 30.4 minutes per game across 68 games (66 starts).