What are the odds? Just after I write about the mirror situation between Immanuel Quickley's tumultuous play and Raptors alum Fred VanVleet's late stages, IQ comes out of nowhere to deliver his magnum opus in an incredible effort against the Warriors on January 20.
In fact, it was the most efficient 40-point game in league history, which only adds to the astonishing nature of his career-best tying night. At night's end, Immanuel Quickley put up those aforementioned 40 points on a stellar 11-for-13 from the field, including 7-for-8 from three, and a perfect 11-for-11 on his free throws. Quickley also added 10 assists (making it a double-double), notched two rebounds, and secured two steals.
It was a whopping 112.1 percent true shooting night for IQ, making him the top true shooting performer in 40-point or more games. Only Myles Turner (at 110.6 percent TS on Feb. 23, 2023) and Klay Thompson (at 110 percent TS on Jan. 21, 2019) have the next closest claims.
Much of the prevailing Immanuel Quickley storyline in the 2025-26 campaign has revolved around his streaky shooting — or lack thereof — his questionable role as the Raptors' starting point guard, and the ongoing debate about his contract being a burdensome issue on Toronto’s salary sheets. But the simple argument of just dumping IQ’s contract or parting ways with him could be too narrow-minded for Raptors fans to settle on.
Immanuel Quickley must keep this form going for the Raptors
I think Immanuel Quickley is such a professional presence to have in the locker room. He's built a solid rapport with the team, exhibits a down-to-earth character, and seems to have a good relationship with Darko Rajakovic too — even though he's put IQ in the hot seat before.
Is he the most polished point guard to lead the charge? Probably not.
But let’s not forget that Quickley might be one of the few proven shooting threats on the Raptors' roster who can catch fire like he did against the Dubs. Yes, the Raptors have Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes, but they are completely different offensive weapons for Toronto to utilize.
The streakiness is a valid cause for concern, and it wasn't even that long ago when IQ had a rough stretch of some inefficient games between January 7 and January 12 (just before he missed two games due to injury). Sure, Quickley was averaging 19.0 points and 5.5 assists during that span, but it was coming on 37.8 percent shooting from the field and a rough 28.2 percent from three.
After the superb benchmark he set against the Warriors, the Raptors had a back-to-back with a game against the Kings on January 21, and Quickley responded with another solid effort afterward. He finished with 18 points on 50 percent shooting, along with six rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and a plus/minus of +15 — helping Toronto notch consecutive wins.
Consistency will define this next phase of Quickley's Raptors run, as his name's already swirling in rumors — about his contract's unpopularity and Toronto’s supposed efforts to gauge for suitors. But I feel that he's done a great job of putting his name out there in a positive light over these last few games. He's been proving to the Raptors' brass that he's still a noteworthy contributor to their core, and keeping him could be the wise play. And on the flip side of things, if the rumors are true, then kudos to IQ for potentially upping his trade value too.
In either scenario, Toronto comes out a winner. It’s a great turn of events in IQ's Raptors discourse, especially considering the long stretch of negative perceptions that were trending before this.