Raptors $162.5 million guard can prove himself this season

The Toronto Raptors have a player making a lot of money that can prove to be worth every penny.

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray defends against Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley. | Bob Frid-Imagn Images

Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley is going into his second full season with the team as the 2025-26 campaign inches closer to the start.

Quickley, 26, averaged a career-high 17.1 points per game last season, but failed to stay on the court for more than 33 games. That's part of the reason why Bleacher Report writer Grant Hughes listed Quickley as one of 10 players that needs to prove himself going into the season.

Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley speaks during the media day press conference at Hotel X. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Quickley can bounce back for Raptors

Quickley is hoping to use this season as a chance to prove himself and get healthy for the Raptors. He missed most of last year with a partially-torn UCL in his elbow.

Now that Quickley is healthy, the Raptors have their point guard to take them into the season. He will have a chance to build some rapport with Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl in the starting lineup.

The reason why Quickley can prove himself can be seen in how his teammates feel about him going into the season.

“He averaged 17 (points) and almost nine (assists) last year (17.1 and 5.8 actually) and that was the minimized minutes,” Shead said via Toronto Star reporter Doug Smith.

“He was happy to play with half his team (out) the entire time that he was playing, so I think just getting to see the best version of him with the best version of our starting five, it’s going to be really fun.”

Those sentiments are echoed by head coach Darko Rajakovic, who has grown to become very fond of Quickley's abilities as a point guard leading the way.

“A big part of what we’re trying to do is — we call it first touch — is once we get the ball off the defensive rebound to really make quick decisions to advance the ball (with) those kickahead (passes) and he’s big part of that,” Rajakovic said of Quickley via Smith.

“He’s going to be the one facilitating, looking for guys in the front court to be able to finish, and that’s going to allow him to be off the ball early in the possessions, which I think is going to help with playmaking abilities.”

If Quickley can live up to the hype his teammates and coaches are giving him, the Raptors should be in good shape at the point guard position this season.