{"id":261263,"date":"2025-11-04T15:00:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T15:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/261263\/"},"modified":"2025-11-04T15:00:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T15:00:08","slug":"raptors-not-worried-about-quickleys-slow-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/261263\/","title":{"rendered":"Raptors not worried about Quickley\u2019s slow start"},"content":{"rendered":"

TORONTO \u2013 Immanuel Quickley<\/a> isn\u2019t hanging his head. <\/p>\n

The Raptors\u2019 point guard was one of the last players in the gym following a Monday morning practice at OVO Athletic Centre. After scrimmaging with some of his younger teammates, Quickley stuck around and sat on the far side of the facility, watching film with Brandon Ingram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When Toronto acquired Ingram from New Orleans last February, people inside and outside of basketball wondered how he would fit next to the team\u2019s core players, and vice versa. After all, Scottie Barnes<\/a> and RJ Barrett<\/a> play similar positions, occupy similar spots on the court, and share some similar strengths and weaknesses.<\/p>\n

Many of those concerns have already been alleviated. Ingram\u2019s presence hasn\u2019t stopped Barnes and Barrett from getting off to tremendous starts \u2013 through seven games, all three forwards are averaging more than 20 points and shooting over 50 per cent from the field. <\/p>\n

To some surprise, it\u2019s Quickley who has had the hardest time making the adjustment early in the campaign. It does stand to reason. In a starting lineup featuring three high-volume scorers, the point guard has been asked to adapt, spend more time playing off the ball, and sacrifice many of his touches to make sure the others get fed. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s what being a point guard is all about, you might say and you would be right. But Quickley has never been a traditional point guard. He\u2019s also used to operating with the ball in his hands and there\u2019s only one to go around.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a learning curve to his revamped role in the offence, and so, staying late to get on the same page as the team\u2019s newest star isn\u2019t just working hard, it\u2019s working smart. And the 26-year-old isn\u2019t lacking for work ethic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try not to look at it as a rough patch,\u201d Quickley said. \u201cEverybody thinks it\u2019s a rough patch but it\u2019s all in how you look at it, [your] perspective. Life could be a lot worse. But just continue to come in every single day, being present, [asking] how can I get better when I\u2019m in a workout or how can I be better when I\u2019m watching film. At the end of the season, I know I\u2019m going to be fine. [I believe] in the work I put in.\u201d<\/p>\n

So do his teammates and coaches. Nobody inside of the locker room is worried about him. A seven-game sample size is small in the grand scheme of an 82-game season, and some of Quickley\u2019s struggles should be solved with time and regression. For instance, his track record suggests that his 10-for-36 start from beyond the arc is more of a blip or early-season slump than something to be concerned about. He hit 38 per cent of his three-point attempts last year and 40 per cent the year before. He hasn\u2019t forgotten how to shoot.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we all know that IQ could easily be a 15 [point] and 12 [assist] guy or 20 and 12 guy,\u201d said backup point guard Jamal Shead<\/a>. \u201cWith this team and how we\u2019re set up, it\u2019s going to be different for him because he is playing off ball a little bit more. But he can play off ball. He can shoot the s— out of the ball. I think once he gets his rhythm going, he\u2019s going to make us 10 times better.\u201d<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s a concern, it\u2019s that Quickley\u2019s slow start isn\u2019t limited to his shooting woes. His production has been lacking on both ends of the floor. Defensively, he\u2019s had trouble keeping opposing guards in front of him at the point of attack. As the lead guard, some of his shot selection and decision making with the ball has left something to be desired, especially in transition. Even his floater hasn\u2019t been falling \u2013 he\u2019s shooting 33 per cent from just outside of the restricted area, down from 42 per cent in each of the past two seasons.<\/p>\n

Not having their starting centre in the lineup the past three games, or in full health the previous four contests, has surely played a part. Jakob Poeltl<\/a>, who has been dealing with a sore back, makes life easier for everybody, especially the point guard. He and Quickley have developed a real chemistry in the pick and roll. Collin Murray-Boyles<\/a> has filled in admirably but, as head coach Darko Rajakovic noted, the rookie big man is focused on learning the NBA game more so than making other players better at this early stage of his career. Poeltl practised in full on Monday and could return as early as Tuesday against Milwaukee.<\/p>\n

But, to the point that Rajakovic has made a couple times this week, there isn\u2019t a \u201csecret formula\u201d or \u201cmagic wand\u201d to turn Quickley into the player they need him to become. There\u2019s bound to be an adjustment period. Raptors fans might recall that Kyle Lowry<\/a> got off to a slow start in 2018-19, as his role shifted with the addition of Kawhi Leonard<\/a>. Fred VanVleet<\/a> struggled early in his last season with Toronto, as he was asked to defer to Barnes. <\/p>\n

Usage rate is a measure of the possessions that a player ends with a field goal attempt, free throw attempt or turnover while they are on the court. A year ago, Quickley\u2019s usage was just under 25 per cent, only trailing Barrett (28 per cent) and Barnes (26 per cent). So far, it\u2019s at 19 per cent this season \u2013 fifth on the team and behind the rookie Murray-Boyles.<\/p>\n

Theoretically, sharing the floor with Ingram should end up being beneficial for Quickley, as it\u2019s been for Barrett and Barnes, but first he needs to figure out how to do more with less. With the defence fixated on Ingram, Barrett is getting cleaner looks and has been one of the league\u2019s most efficient scorers, while Barnes is excelling in a more natural role as a finisher on offence and wrecking ball on defence.<\/p>\n

This is not how Quickley imagined starting the new season, coming in healthy and fresh off a productive off-season. The young vet spent the summer running track and focusing on his diet to improve his strength and conditioning. He was looking forward to turning the page and bouncing back after his first full season in Toronto was riddled with injuries. Of course, there\u2019s still plenty of time to do that. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m always confident, whether the ball is going in or not,\u201d Quickley said. \u201cI\u2019m going to keep shooting. The best shooters keep shooting. But, really, it\u2019s not just about me. It\u2019s about staying in the moment, staying in the present, and trying to help the team win games.\u201d<\/p>\n

It shouldn\u2019t be hard to stay patient less than two weeks into the season. Quickley and the Raptors are doing just that, but it should be noted, there are people high up in the organization who are keeping a close eye on how the point guard\u2019s play progresses over the course of the campaign. They gave him a pass for last season, understanding that injuries limited him to 33 games, but they need to start seeing some return on investment.<\/p>\n

The five-year, $175 million contract he signed in the summer of 2014 raised some eyebrows around the league. In New York, Quickley had been typecast as a combo guard and sparkplug off the bench. The trade to Toronto came with the opportunity to prove he can lead a team as an above average starter, if not a fringe all-star, and earn the type of money that the Knicks weren\u2019t willing to pay him.<\/p>\n

The Raptors still believe that he can be that player, even if they haven\u2019t seen it for an extended period. And if he\u2019s not? That would present an interesting dilemma \u2013 now and in the future. <\/p>\n

In the short term, Rajakovic is tasked with winning games and has a more reliable defender on his bench in the sophomore Shead. With the starters stumbling out of the halftime break in Cleveland on Friday, Shead replaced Quickley less than two minutes into the third quarter and wound up forcing a near even split in second-half playing time. <\/p>\n

On the season, the team has outscored opponents by 15 points in Shead\u2019s minutes. They\u2019ve been outscored by 25 with Quickley on the floor. Their roles aren\u2019t likely to flip any time soon, but Rajakovic is coaching to higher expectations this season; outside of Ingram and Barnes, nobody\u2019s minutes are guaranteed.<\/p>\n

As for the bigger picture, the Raptors are paying their starters $156.5 million this season, nearly $2 million more than the league\u2019s salary cap. The extension that Poeltl signed last summer doesn\u2019t kick in until 2027, just as Barrett\u2019s contract expires. If they\u2019re looking to shed salary, the thinking was that Barrett might be the expendable piece, and his inclusion in trade talks over the summer seemed to corroborate that belief. But, at least to this point, the Canadian swingman is doing exactly what he needs to do to prove he\u2019s a long-term fit with this group.<\/p>\n

The onus is on Quickley to do the same. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not playing his best basketball right now and that\u2019s fine,\u201d Rajakovic said. \u201cThat\u2019s why he has his teammates to help him. Not everybody can carry an 82-game long season and be perfect. All he needs to do is take one day at a time and be one per cent better [each day]. What I can tell you is that he\u2019s putting a lot of work in, a lot of effort. He cares so much and that\u2019s why it\u2019s frustrating for him because he\u2019s going through this rough [stretch]. But it\u2019s completely fine. I have complete trust in him and his work.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TORONTO \u2013 Immanuel Quickley isn\u2019t hanging his head. The Raptors\u2019 point guard was one of the last players…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":261264,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[434],"tags":[712,121073,49,48,121072,459,106357,82,96661],"class_list":["post-261263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-apple-news","tag-brandon-ingram-sports-basketball-player-player-statscom-887665","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-immanuel-quickley-sports-basketball-player-player-statscom-1134175","tag-nba","tag-scottie-barnes-sports-basketball-player-player-statscom-1251666","tag-sports","tag-toronto-raptors-sports-basketball-team-team-statscom-28"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=261263"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261263\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/261264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=261263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=261263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=261263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}