Raptors still need what Quickley brings to the table

Contrary to their dismal record and bottom-five standing, the Toronto Raptors have mostly enjoyed positive vibes and promising developments this season as they prioritize lottery odds over wins.

Franchise star Scottie Barnes has bounced back from multiple injuries to play the best two-way basketball of his career. Hometown favorite RJ Barrett has continued to develop as a scorer and playmaker, turning his "toxic asset" of a contract into a potentially team-friendly bargain (or trade chip). Sophomore Gradey Dick has hit a wall, but the 21-year-old has flashed star potential in short bursts. Ochai Agbaji has looked like a quintessential glue guy, a high-IQ, 3-and-D role player every contender could use. There's a quintet of rookies all worthy of some measure of excitement based on what they've shown Toronto thus far, either on an NBA court or in the G League.

And then there's Immanuel Quickley, who's become somewhat of a forgotten man despite signing a five-year, $162.5-million contract last summer. Quickley's first full season as a Raptor and full-time starter has been derailed by pelvic, elbow, hip, and groin injuries that have limited him to just 20 of Toronto's first 59 games.

The Raptors are 4-16 in those 20 contests and have lost Quickley's minutes by an even worse margin than they have when he's off the court. Quickley has averaged 15.9 points on middling efficiency, his once deadly touch from floater range has abandoned him, and his defense has regressed to the point where it seems impossible he can share a backcourt with Dick.

But even as the losses pile up and Quickley's individual performance remains uneven, the last couple weeks have reminded us why the Raptors targeted the speedy guard as an ideal partner for Barnes in the first place.

Over his last seven games, Quickley has averaged 18.9 points, five assists, and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 50% inside the arc and 39.2% from deep on 7.3 3-point attempts per game. The Raptors have also narrowly won his minutes during that stretch.

More than the results, though, it's the way Quickley has gone about his business as he gets his legs back that has finally provided reason for optimism. He looks quicker, bouncier, and generally fresher than he has all season. He's letting it fly from deep more often. He's creating advantages and putting teammates in good positions to score, even if they aren't actually doing so. (Quickley is averaging 10.7 potential assists since Feb. 9 compared to 9.5 in his first 13 games, according to NBA.com.)

His ability to make things happen off the dribble and to strike fear in the hearts of opponents as a pull-up threat are desperately needed skills not only on Toronto's currently overmatched roster, but on any Barnes-led team of the future. That goes double with Brandon Ingram now in the fold.

The biggest knock on Quickley's shooting is that he doesn't pull the trigger enough, with head coach Darko Rajakovic often noting he wants Quickley taking 10 threes per game. For reference, his career high in a season is 6.4 (set last year).

"I think, more so, the mindset is just to be aggressive. I don't go into a game thinking, 'Alright, let me shoot this many,'" Quickley said after a recent practice. Still, Rajakovic's message is getting through. "I probably could've shot three or four more that I passed up," Quickley said the day after going 5-for-11 from deep in a loss to Miami. "When I'm aggressive, it opens up a lot of different opportunities, whether I'm getting blitzed and I can hit the pocket (pass). Just trying to be aggressive so that it opens up space for my teammates."

Quickley's presence allows Barnes to thrive off the ball rather than being forced to consistently initiate the offense. He's also a sure-handed breath of fresh air for a team that has given the bulk of its point guard minutes this season to two players (Davion Mitchell and rookie Jamal Shead) who rank 43rd and 45th out of 48 point guards in turnover rate, per Cleaning The Glass.

While we can all agree this has been a lost season for Quickley (and fans are understandably focused on draft lottery positioning at the moment), that doesn't mean the final six weeks of the year have to be. I may sound like a broken record, but the Raptors need Quickley and Barnes to get more reps together.

"My only issue is I want to see it even more," Rajakovic said of the Quickley-Barnes pick-and-roll partnership. "They've had some very productive conversations about what Scottie needs to do as a roller, how Quickley can play off of that. They didn't play together for a big part of the season. This is an amazing opportunity for us to put them in those situations, so they can learn each other."

The Raptors will find themselves needing to answer some tough questions sooner than expected, as Ingram's extension and the addition of a top-five(ish) pick will see Toronto flirting with the luxury tax threshold this summer. However, Quickley's contract and injury-riddled season likely mean he's safe. Selling low on the player deemed a franchise point guard just months ago wouldn't make much sense.

For now, this partnership should continue as a marriage of convenience, if nothing else. But amid a ton of injuries, losses, and local consternation over his contract, Quickley has shown flashes of the potential that first endeared him to the Raptors. The next step, or rather the biggest question, is whether he can turn seven-game flashes into the norm. The answer will go a long way in determining which direction Toronto's rebuild veers.

Joseph Casciaro is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.