3 Studs and 4 Duds from Raptors' horrifying loss to Cavaliers on Opening Night
Immanuel Quickley was a stud
This season is an opportunity for Immanuel Quickley to spread his wings as a full-time starting point guard. He missed most of the preseason with a thumb injury but entered opening night fully healthy. Right from the jump, Quickley looked like the best Raptors player on the court. He confidently stepped into a 3-pointer off the dribble, then his drive game opened up passing lanes for him to hit shooters on the perimeter.
The Raptors outscored the Cavaliers during his first quarter stint, and in 14 minutes he finished with 13 points and four assists. Unfortunately, Quickley then took a hard fall, going for a rebound and getting his feet inadvertantly swept out from under him by Darius Garland. He missed the rest of the game with a pelvic injury, and his status will be updated soon. He appears to have avoided a significant injury, which is a good thing, because he was one of the lone bright spots for the Raptors on Wednesday.
Davion Mitchell was a dud
The next man up to replace Quickley was Davion Mitchell, and the offseason addition was not up to the task. After proving himself as a facilitator running the offense in the preseason, Mitchell was tentative and predictable trying to do so against the elite defense of the Cleveland Cavaliers. He had five turnovers and just three assists.
Perhaps that could be forgiven if he was able to dominate in other areas, but Mitchell shot 0-for-3 from outside and scored just eight points on his 10 shots. He did has two steals and was decent as an on-ball defender, but he didn't have a major impact on the Raptors' inability to stop anyone inside. If Quickley misses time, the Raptors cannot feel confident starting Mitchell against high-level teams.
The Purple Unis were a stud
The score was brutal, the lack of interior defense a shocking disaster, but the Raptors did one thing extremely well last night: they wore some of the coolest jerseys in the entire league.
The purple jerseys absolutely popped when the Raptors came out during introductions, and as the Raptors tipped off their 30th season of existence the nostalgia came in heavy waves. It felt like VInce Carter could be dunking any moment, or Chris Bosh blocking a shot and then screaming into the heavens like a Raptor roaring over its prey.
The performance was obviously disappointing, but anytime they have on the purple uniforms at least something is right in the world.