I will cut Immanuel Quickley some slack because the Raptors' initial stages of their December 29 game against the Orlando Magic turned out to be a troublesome affair. But Toronto would converge seamlessly as the game progressed, getting a ton of defensive effort across the board, and a much-needed boost from their young bench pieces.
Unfortunately, Immanuel Quickley was not part of that impactful push and paid for it by being sidelined to the Raptors' bench. He was surpassed in the rotation by a blossoming Jamal Shead, who had a career night, and Toronto received much more help on the floor from players not named IQ.
Head coach Darko Rajakovic kept it short and to the point in the post-game press conference after being asked by a reporter, "Why wasn't [Immanuel] Quickley on the floor at the end of the game?” to which he replied (YouTube link here):
Immanuel Quickley’s quiet night against Magic leads to bench move
"Because Jamal Shead was on the floor instead of him (smiles). "Darko Rajakovic, Dec. 29, 2025
At the end of the 107-106 game, Immanuel Quickley's struggles were very evident in his stat line: just four points on 2-for-16 shooting, going 0-for-6 from deep, five rebounds, five assists, and finishing with a plus/minus of -18.
To be fair, players getting benched in the NBA is nothing new. However, based on how this Raptors squad is constructed and my interpretation of Darko Rajakovic’s coaching style and rotations, I can recall many nights where a player on the Raptors should've been taken out of the game.
IQ is no stranger to this thought because we've seen it go down as he embarked on a difficult early season journey to kick off the 2025-26 year. Yet, he was kept on the floor in his role and starting capacity nonetheless. I think maybe it is a different story here, as we are now about three months into the NBA season. Pulling the plug on IQ at that time would not have helped him improve his numbers and confidence.
But the game against the Magic on December 29 had a lot riding on it. Toronto gutted it out to get the game within reach, getting back-to-back wins as a result, and you have to reward the guys who helped bring you there with their intensity — Ja'Kobe Walter, Collin Murray-Boyles, Scottie Barnes, and Jamal Shead.
Although, I wouldn’t read too much into this, outside a player just having a really rough night at the office. Still, it’s definitely an intriguing thought to consider how Jamal Shead was able to flourish in a starting-like role for the Raptors. Of course, night after night, different scenarios will present themselves for the team, and I still believe Immanuel Quickley has his starting role locked down (unless he's rerouted elsewhere in a trade).
But it was great to see Shead perform, especially since I see it as a rare occurrence when players in the Raptors’ hierarchy are taken out of the game due to underwhelming performances — something I actually highlighted in a piece not too long ago.