The Toronto Raptors announced Friday that point guard Immanuel Quickley will not be available for the remainder of the team’s first round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Quickley, who was recovering from a hamstring issue, re-injured it during the rehabilitation process. The team added that an update will be provided “as appropriate”.
After several injury-plagued seasons, Quickley appeared in 70 this past year – his most since 2022-2023 when he was a member of the New York Knicks. He is also
one of the team’s better three-point shooters at 37% and he attempts the most threes per game on the team. That floor spacing is imperative on a team that is challenged offensively at keeping up with their opponents when the scoring starts coming. On the year, Quickley averaged 16.4 points and 5.9 assists per game.
In his absence, the Raptors have started Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter so far in the series. Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles, who was very effective in Game 3 with 22 points off the bench, could also start in Quickley’s place.
The Cavs catch a break with Quickley being ruled out for the series, which narrows the margin of error even more for the Raptors. Cleveland’s offense was very poor in Game 3, but they muscled their way through the first half with a tie and put themselves in position to win entering the fourth quarter. The final score is not indicative of how much the Cavs fought back, so there is good reason to believe the offense will look better in Game 4 just due to regression back to the mean. Toronto, meanwhile, shot 61% from deep in Game 3 – well above their season average.
They did not necessarily need him for Game 3, but Toronto certainly would have liked to see Quickley on the court for another near must-win Game 4. The Raptors trail the series 2-1, and its is fair to say that the first two games are more indicative of what the baseline is for these two teams. The Cavs have had one of the best offenses since the All-Star break, and the Raptors have struggled mightily in that same timeframe.
The Cavs and Raptors will square off in Game 4 on Sunday afternoon.
