The Toronto Raptors will not have starting point guard Immanuel Quickley for Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Series first round against the Cleveland Cavaliers, per Sportnet.ca’s Michael Grange. Tipoff for Game 1 is set for 1 p.m. (ET) at Rocket Arena.
“Quickley out vs. Cavs for Game 1,” tweeted Grange.
Raptors Shorthanded For Start of EC Series Against Cavaliers, How Long Will Immanuel Quickley Be Out, and Who Will Replace Him?
Quickley is out due to a hamstring injury he strained in Toronto’s regular-season finale against the Brooklyn Nets on April 12. It is unfortunate, though a likely expected outcome. The 26-year-old was dealing with right foot plantar fasciitis when he sustained the injury and told Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca that he wasn’t sure if the injuries were related.
“Just day-to-day. Trying to take care of myself so I can be back on the floor with my teammates, Just unfortunate” Quickley said.
Quickley has been relatively healthy this year, after being limited to just 33 games in 2024-25. Today’s game marks the 13th game Quickley will miss all season, though nine of those absences have occurred over the last month. He produced one of the best seasons of his career and was part of the reason that the fifth-seed Raptors have a chance to upset the fourth-seed Cavaliers.
Quickley averages 16.4 points, a career-high 5.9 assists, and 4.0 rebounds. The speedy 6-2 guard drained a team-high 2.5 3-pointers a game while shooting 44.3% from the field, which is the second highest of his career, and 37.4% from beyond the arc. He also set a personal best with 1.3 steals a game and only turned the ball over 1.5 times a game.
Since Quickley was questionable for the game, the hamstring strain is likely only mild. A mild hamstring strain usually sidelines a player 5 to 10 days. So, expect Quickley to be considered questionable heading into Game 2 of the series on Monday in Cleveland. If he can’t play on Monday, then Game 3 in Toronto seems like a good bet.
Jamal Shead Gets Start For Quickley
Jamal Shead will start in place of Quickley, Grange tweeted about 25 minutes before tip. As a result of the Raptors going with Shead, Grange added that the Cavs decided to start Dean Wade.
Shead is making his first playoff appearance and 13th start this year. The 23-year-old is one of the best young defensive guards and will give the Raptors relentless energy. He is also an outstanding offensive organizer, registering 5.4 assists this year. However, he struggles shooting the ball and averages 6.9 points a game for his career with shooting splits of 38.6/32.2/78.4.
The Raptors are 6-6 in games that Shead, who has the third-best plus-minus rating on the Raptors, has started this year. While Shead gets the start, expect Ja’Kobe Walter to see plenty of action. Walter showed significant improvement in year number two, compiling 7.5 points and 1.5 triples with shooting splits of 44.6/40.9/78.9 in 20 minutes over 72 appearances. He scored in double-figures 24 times, topping the 20-point mark once.
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