I best described the Raptors’ somewhat chaotic start to the 2025-26 season as a rollercoaster of sorts. For those who tuned into that initial stretch of games, you’ll know that one of the main culprits receiving criticism for his dramatic downturn in play was Immanuel Quickley.
Though IQ is on a positive upswing now at the time of writing, he was far from a desirable watch to kick things off as he struggled to display any shooting poise — largely ending games inefficiently, multiple defensive lapses and an overall sense of looking clouded whenever he stepped on the court.
For any casual Raptors fans or the general basketball watcher keeping tabs on all 30 teams, they might assume that Quickley just got off to a rough start and that it’s all uphill from here. But the glaring concern that a devout Raptors fan has regarding IQ’s game is still very much in play.
On a recent edition of The Zach Lowe Show, he described the Quickley situation in Toronto perfectly (YouTube link here):
Immanuel Quickley has to prove his decision-making is reliable
“[Immanuel] Quickley’s wildly uneven start to the season, where his decision-making goes haywire for half of every game.”
Zach Lowe, Nov 10, 2025
I think that encapsulates the IQ experience in a nutshell. I have no doubt that his ability as a stout shooter is invaluable for this Raptors squad, as I mentioned in my last piece about Quickley. But the challenge is how quickly (pun intended) he can pivot from doing what he does best to either trying to do too much or not enough. That’s the gamble many Raptors fans have to witness when IQ is on the court.
Again, it’s never a valid response to overblow early circumstances as the be-all, end-all for a player, as we’ve seen many players struggle at first but turn things around for the better. After 11 games, Quickley has definitely been doing that, now averaging 15.3 points on 42.9 percent shooting from the field, 34.3 percent from three, 75.6 percent from the line, along with 4.7 rebounds and 6.2 assists. His free throw percentage can improve as the season progresses, given he’s a career 85.4 percent shooter from the charity stripe, but IQ’s dim decision-making can go beyond what the numbers merely show.
The Raptors might be establishing themselves as a cut above the rest in team assists per game, and it’s a luxury they can boast, given strong passers like Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, and Jamal Shead across the board. However, Immanuel Quickley is still Toronto’s lead guard at the helm. No shade to IQ — I can appreciate that he’s been on a bit of a tear lately (his last outing against Brooklyn was definitely his best performance to date), but he must continue to shift the discourse of being a chaotic decision-maker, as it definitely left a sour taste in many Raptors fans’ mouths.
