Sharpshooting weapon appears locked and loaded for upcoming Raptors season

Immanuel Quickley wants to be a flamethrower for the Raptors — and that's great news
Los Angeles Clippers v Toronto Raptors
Los Angeles Clippers v Toronto Raptors | Mark Blinch/GettyImages

After Monday's Media Day festivities, it's clear that Immanuel Quickley has some lofty goals for himself going into a pivotal chapter of Raptors basketball.

Considering everything — the abundance of offseason discourse, his potential ceiling, and the high expectations placed on him after spending much of last season on injured reserve — I realized there's still a lot to uncover to IQ's game. He hasn't quite lived up to his high price tag yet, but the questions about Quickley's future remain compelling.

I reflected on a question from a reporter, and Quickley's response was very revealing. The reporter's exact question was: "... I just wanted to ask you about a couple of things that you set as goals at the end of last season. You said you wanted to be able to take more threes and also get stronger. I was wondering how much stronger you're feeling right now and also, averaging seven threes a game as a Raptor. Do you have a specific goal in terms of how many you want to take this season?"

In response, Quickley said (YouTube link here):

Immanuel Quickley is determined to get more threes up for the Raptors

"I think with our team, especially like the type of attention that guys like RJ [Barrett], Scottie [Barnes], BI [Brandon Ingram] are going to get, I think I can get ten. And I think a lot of them will probably be more catch-and-shoot. Probably more than the last two years, this past two years, a lot of them been off the dribble. But I think more of them will probably be catch-and-shoot, you know, on the move. And then to your point about getting stronger. Spent a lot of time on the track this summer. So I've been been trying to, you know, up the condition a little bit. And then every season I look to get stronger every summer. And I always take that part of my game serious. Even though I look a little skinny, I feel like, you know, I'm a little strong."
Immanuel Quickley, Sep 29, 2025

You’ve got to give credit to Quickley for his drive and passion, which are evident in his answer. It’s clear he’s put a lot of thought into how he can impact the Raptors’ overall game. Shooting is one of his strongest skills, and having a player who can consistently shoot close to 40% from three is advantageous for any team. As IQ mentions, he now expects to be more of a catch-and-shoot threat for Toronto, since many of his deep shots have come off the dribble in the past. With the ball likely to move quickly, especially among those aforementioned names of Barrett, Barnes, and Ingram, Quickley has a real chance to become that reliable shooter for Toronto moving forward (barring any injuries).

Raptors Nation should be hyped to see it all play out.