Since acquiring Immanuel Quickley from the New York Knicks, he has proven to be the franchise point guard for the Toronto Raptors.
While Toronto is beginning its rebuild, Quickley has been a bright spot. As RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl look to be out for the rest of the season, the spotlight is on the 24-year-old.
Injuries have plagued the Raptors, leading to more and more losses. However, the 6’2″ guard is now attending to a personal matter and there is no timetable for his return, via Josh Lewenberg of TSN:
Rajakovic says there’s no timetable for Quickley’s return – he’s away due to a personal/family matter. Without him, Bruce Brown will get more opportunities on the ball. Brown, Jahmi’us Ramsey and Javon Freeman-Liberty are the Raptors’ 3 primary ball handlers for now, per Darko
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) March 20, 2024
Head coach Darko Rajakovic continued by mentioning Bruce Brown will get more opportunities on the ball. As Toronto does not have a traditional point guard outside of Quickley, Rajakovic may have to get creative with his lineups.
In his 32 games with the Raptors, Quickley is averaging a career-high 17.7 points and 6.6 assists on 41.7 percent from the field and 39.7 percent from the three-point line. With restricted free agency up next for the guard, it certainly makes sense to keep him around with Barrett and Barnes.
There is no rush for the former Kentucky Wildcat as the Raptors are losers of eight straight and they are 1-9 in their last 10 games.
The possibility of having four starters sidelined for the rest of the year allows Toronto to catch the Memphis Grizzlies for the sixth-worst record in the league.
This absence however provides more opportunities for young players on the roster like Jami’us Ramsey and Javon Freeman-Liberty. Evaluating talent is a crucial part of a rebuild and it will be intriguing to see if Ramsey and Freeman-Liberty can take advantage.
Immanuel Quickley stepped up in absence of Scottie Barnes
Since Barnes’ injury, it has not been a pretty viewing experience for Raptors fans. However, Quickley stepped up in a big way during the absence of the team’s best player.
He put together some great numbers out of the All-Star break and found his groove wearing a Raptors jersey.
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