Jan. 1, 2024 was the day that the Toronto Raptors got to see Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett make their debuts.
Since the unofficial beginning of the trade season on Dec. 15, Toronto was the first team to pull the trigger on a deal. Quickley and Barrett were shipped from the New York Knicks to the Raptors for O.G. Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, Malachi Flynn and a 2024 second-round draft pick (via Detroit).
This trade meant Quickley would get a bigger role and blossom as a player playing alongside Scottie Barnes. The guard has shown his ability to score efficiently, something that Toronto needed.
Quickley wasted no time showing love to Raptors fans. After getting an and-1 early in the third quarter, he high fived some fans sitting courtside:
Immanuel Quickley is quickly becoming a fan favourite. 🌪️ pic.twitter.com/h73HrWWnPN
— BasketballBuzz.ca 🇨🇦🏀🍁 (@basketballbuzz) January 2, 2024
The 24-year-old finished his Raptors debut with 14 points, 6 rebounds. 3 assists on 5-13 shooting from the field and 2-5 from distance. His 3-point shooting will be a key part to the team’s success as Toronto has struggled to space the floor.
It was intriguing to see head coach Darko Rajakovic play both Quickley and Dennis Schroder. Those two do make a small backcourt, but their speed and ability to get to the basket will make up for it.
Having two new starters did not seem to impact anyone’s game as shots were distributed well amongst the starting lineup. For Quickley, his playmaking will be something worth monitoring as no one is concerned about his scoring.
The Raptors have not a dynamic scorer like Quickley, so his ability to take some pressure off Barnes and Pascal Siakam will be huge throughout the season.
After picking up the win against the Cavaliers, Quickley already recognized how special of a city Toronto is, via Libaan Osman of the Toronto Star:
“It was a lot of love. Toronto fans they’re already special.”
Barrett reflects on his debut with Toronto
This change of scenery also benefitted Barrett, as he returns to Toronto to play for his hometown team.
The former Knick put up 19 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist on 6-12 shooting from the field and 1-2 shooting from deep. It was a solid debut for Barrett and after the win he admitted it was a special game for him.
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