Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley has sustained a partial tear to the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, the team announced on Tuesday evening. Quickley will be reevaluated in a week, and his condition will then be updated by the team as appropriate.
This new elbow injury comes just two games after Quickley returned from a pelvic injury he suffered in the team's opening night matchup on October 23 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since returning to the lineup, the young guard has been one of Toronto's most leaned on players, especially with Scottie Barnes out of the lineup due to an orbital bone fracture.
In these two games against the LA Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers, Quickley scored 21 and 12 points, respectively. He also had four assists in both matchups on the west coast. Ultimately, the Raptors fell in both games and find themselves on a four-game losing streak.
Once again, the Raptors are left shorthanded in what has become a rough 2-9 start to the 2024-25 season. Toronto currently finds themselves occupying last place in the Eastern Conference and with the worst record in the NBA.
Without Quickley, RJ Barrett is left as the only key scoring weapon for the Raptors. However, second-year wing Gradey Dick has stepped up and filled big minutes for this organization early on in the new season. He will once again be tasked with becoming more of a scoring weapon alongside Barrett.
Davion Mitchell, Jamal Shead, and Ja'Kobe Walter will all see their roles increase as well with Quickley back on the bench.
Immanuel Quickley's injury foreshadows Raptors rebuild
With or without Quickley, the Raptors were preparing themselves for a rebuild this season. Now that Barnes and Quickley are both injured, the process of getting the young talent on this roster more minutes has become even clearer for second-year head coach Darko Rajakovic.
While the Raptors do have the makings of a stable core with Barnes, Quickley, and Barrett, expectations entering the 2024-25 season were not as high as other teams in the Eastern Conference. Executive Masai Ujiri relayed this message to the media in the preseason.
“I would use the word rebuilding, that's the right word, I think we have a clear path now going forward,” Ujiri stated. “Young team, growing team, I think we set a path, went into the draft last year, got a couple of young players, and wanting to continue to grow and build this team around Scottie who is just 23 years old, so just want to continue to grow as a team.
“In sports you always want to be competitive and you play to win, but it is a rebuilding team, I think everybody sees that.”
At this time, little detail has been given as to how long Quickley will be out. Although this injury can be treated without surgery, it generally takes several weeks to several months to fully heal.
The Raptors will provide an update on Quickley's status and when he could potentially return to on-court activities when he is reevaluated by medical staff in a week.
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