Immanuel Quickley is bringing another dimension to his game

When you think of Immanuel Quickley’s game,  the three-point shot is probably one of the first things that comes to mind.

That is fair. It is a big part of his game, and the Raptors could certainly use more of it. Toronto finished 26th in the NBA in threes made last season and 21st in three-point percentage, shooting 35.4 percent from deep.

However, Quickley wasn’t spending his offseason just working on his jumper. “A big focus was my driving angles … wanting to really get in the paint more,” Quickley said on Media Day.

It makes a lot of sense. Quickley is really fast. When he gets a step on somebody, he can get to the rim before the defence has much time to react. And that’s something the Raptors could probably stand to see more of.

Quickley had some stretches last season where everything seemed to be working. The shot was falling, he was getting into a rhythm, and the offence looked a whole lot easier. However, there were also several nights when the jumper was not there. That is when things got a little tougher.

If Quickley can get into the paint more often, it gives him another option on nights when the three just isn’t cooperating. Quickley had a solid season last year. He played 70 games, his most since the 2022-23 season, and averaged 16.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.9 assists.

The Raptors won’t stop asking him to shoot threes. They definitely should not. But if Quickley gets more comfortable attacking the paint, defenders suddenly have another thing to worry about.