Look, I can attest just as much as the next Raptors fan that I am very eager to see an inevitable breakout from Immanuel Quickley. I had high hopes for the lead point guard last season, and so did many other NBA commentators I follow. But as we came to find out, injuries derailed IQ's 2024-25 campaign, and he was only able to make 33 appearances for the Raptors. That was definitely a letdown given his recent five-year extension. So, as the kids say, "we ride." While much of the spotlight has been on the other core trio of Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, and RJ Barrett, you could argue that Immanuel Quickley had those guys beat as Toronto’s biggest question mark.
And question marks galore have been the tale of IQ's tumultuous 2025-26 season to date. Highlighting comments made by the 26-year-old during Raptors Media Day, he expressed a strong belief that his skill set could translate into more of an off-ball threat. His exact statement was that he wanted to provide the Raptors with more catch-and-shoot opportunities, aiming for at least ten three-point attempts per game.
Well, he's certainly been trying to get those three-point reps up, currently averaging 5.4 attempts per game. However, IQ has been struggling mightily to buy a bucket, managing just 1.5 made threes per game — far below his usual benchmark.
Immanuel Quickley simply isn't playing well for the Raptors
Showing glimpses with the Knicks and as joined to Toronto, it was clear that much of the praise for IQ's game centered on his ability to score and deliver from deep. In his first two years with Toronto, Quickley hit 2.8 of 7.1 three-point attempts per game in 2023-24, and slightly down in his injury-riddled 2024-25 season, making 2.6 of 6.8 attempts.
No one is quite sure what is causing Quickley to fall into such a drought, but his early struggles caught coach Darko Rajakovic's eye quite vividly. The coach expressed deep faith in the guard's ability to shoot himself out of this slump, even if it comes at the cost of missed shots and temporarily lower efficiency.
While the more critical and less patient Raptors devotee might be unhappy with this approach, it is understandable to see where coach is coming from. It’s not just Quickley’s three-point averages that are taking a hit; he’s also having a hard time at the free-throw line. His current free-throw percentage stands at 77.4 percent, which is oddly down from his usual career average of 85.6 percent.
I can certainly get frustrated with Quickley's persistence to draw up shots and plays for himself in games, when he should be trying to be more of a team-first point guard looking to elevate those around him. That is, unless he's forced to take the shot near the end of the clock.
I did already highlight in another piece that Toronto might have forced IQ into a role that he's simply not cut out for. At the very least, though, Raptors fans can't deny that when IQ has been on in seasons past, he can be that difference-maker from a scoring and spacing perspective.
Sure, the shots aren't falling now, but what can we really do? It's so easy to play witch hunt and call for Quickley to be traded immediately, but think about that logically? What team in their right mind is going to trade for a player whose value is at an all-time low?
At such an expensive price and with so many factors at play, the Raptors will simply have to keep the faith and hope that IQ returns to form. Shooting 38.2 percent from the field and 27.9 percent from three is far from the return on investment Toronto was hoping for. But it's not time yet to consider the 26-year-old as a lost cause. Quickley will simply need to remember who he is. Just look at how quickly the Raptors' vibes improved; they went from a four-game skid to a three-game winning streak. Things can turn around — patience is a virtue.