Immanuel Quickley did not play Saturday when the Toronto Raptors opened their first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, leaving the team without its starting point guard for Game 1. Jamal Shead started in Quickley’s place as Toronto tried to manage the opening night of the matchup without one of its best perimeter threats.
Quickley strained his right hamstring in the Raptors’ final game of the year against the Brooklyn Nets, when he played 17 minutes in the first half before not returning after halftime. He had also missed eight games in a row before the final week of the season because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot, then returned on April 7. The injuries left Toronto making a late playoff run with one of the players who had helped shape it still fighting to get back to full strength.
Quickley said Friday that he wanted to play, not just for himself but for his teammates, adding that even the last few games of the regular season left him feeling really banged up. He said he knew how much the playoffs meant to the group and was trying to be out there for his guys. Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said Friday that Quickley was improving and getting better every day, but the team ruled him out by Saturday.
That left Shead with the start and the heaviest share of the defensive work against Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell. Toronto needed a strong finish just to avoid the Play-In Tournament, and Quickley was central to that push. He averaged 16.4 points and 5.9 assists in 70 games this season, shot 37.4 percent from 3-point range and led the team with 2.5 made 3s per game.
His absence also changes the way Toronto moves the ball. While Quickley was sidelined with the foot injury, Scottie Barnes averaged 10.6 assists over eight games, well above his season average of 5.9, a stretch that showed how much more playmaking the Raptors had to ask of him. Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson praised Quickley on Friday, saying the shooting and speed made him a heck of a player and calling him a big reason Toronto captured the fifth seed. The Raptors now have to prove they can hold that spot without him on the floor.
