Immanuel Quickley had missed the Toronto Raptors’ last 22 games and coming off an embarrassing loss against the Boston Celtics, Toronto was at an all-time low.
However, Quickley returned from his elbow injury against the Brooklyn Nets on Jan. 1 and he completely changed the outlook of the Raptors.
His true point guard play allowed the Raptors’ offense to run smoothly and for the first time in a while Toronto looked like a competent basketball team.
“It was amazing. The intensity he brought to the floor tonight on both ends of the floor was great, something that we really missed & needed. His playmaking ability, his ability to get in the paint, his shooting, all of that. We needed that. His leadership,” Scottie Barnes said of Quickley’s return via TSN’s Josh Lewenberg.
Quickley’s return was unexpected since there was no public timetable for when he was going to return to action. Rajakovic said that Quickley was able to do a lot of running/cardio while he was out with the elbow injury and he started to ramp up with contact over the past week, per Lewenberg.
Quickley came back in a big way scoring 21 points to go along with 15 assists in 32 minutes of action. Not only did his scoring boost the Raptors offense, but it’s the impact his playmaking had on his teammates. Gradey Dick had his best game in weeks, Ochai Agbaji got back on track and Barnes got to go back to playing like a point forward which resulted in him having a dominant performance.
“It felt great (to be back). When you have the game taken away from you for a long time you’re a little bit more grateful. You miss it. Not that I took the game for granted before… It’s just a different feeling than being on the sidelines,” Quickley said via Lewenberg.
With the Raptors having a dynamic point guard back in their starting lineup it’s going to open up so much more for the team. Then once RJ Barrett returns, Toronto will finally get to see what they have in its starting five for the first time this season.
NBA insider shares update on Jakob Poeltl trade talks
Jakob Poeltl doesn’t appear to be going anywhere.
There has been a lot of speculation on if the Raptors will try and trade Poeltl before the trade deadline, but according to NBA insider Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Toronto has not made him available for trade.
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