Immanuel Quickley won’t suit up when the Toronto Raptors face the Boston Celtics today, extending his absence to eight consecutive games. The 26-year-old point guard has been sidelined since late March with a nagging foot injury that surfaced at the worst possible time for a team fighting to avoid the play-in tournament.
With five games left in the regular season, Toronto’s playoff positioning hangs in the balance, and so does the status of one of its most important players.
Immanuel Quickley’s Recovery From Plantar Fasciitis
Quickley is dealing with plantar fasciitis in his right foot, an overuse injury that causes inflammation in the thick band of tissue running across the bottom of the foot. The condition flared up during Toronto’s 120-98 road loss to the Phoenix Suns on March 22, though Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic indicated the issue had been bothering Quickley for weeks prior.
Rajakovic addressed the situation before a late-March contest against the New Orleans Pelicans: “Quickley’s nagging plantar fasciitis has been bothering him for a couple weeks but flared up recently. Only way for it to completely heal is to rest for 2-4 weeks but that won’t be the case for IQ, he’s going to be available to play,” the coach told reporters, per TSN’s Josh Lewenberg.
That prediction hasn’t materialized as hoped. Instead, Quickley has remained sidelined through eight straight games and counting.
There’s been some progress. Quickley had his first workout without a boot earlier this week, but the team has offered no timetable for his return to game action. Before the injury, Quickley was in the middle of a productive campaign, averaging 16.9 points, 6.0 assists, and 4.1 rebounds across 67 games while shooting 44.5% from the field and 37.4% from 3.
Quickley arrived in Toronto as part of the December 2023 trade that sent OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks. The Knicks sent a second-round pick along with RJ Barrett and Quickley to Toronto, with the Raptors betting that the former Kentucky standout could evolve into a starting-caliber point guard.
Toronto rewarded him with a five-year, $175 million extension in July 2024. This season was supposed to be the first real test of that investment. Injuries have limited his availability in stretches, but when healthy, Quickley has run the offense capably and provided essential perimeter shooting.
How the Raptors Are Navigating the Playoff Race Without Quickley
Quickley’s absence has forced Toronto into lineup adjustments. Jamal Shead has slid into the starting point guard role and performed admirably, averaging 8.7 assists per game over Quickley’s absence.
Scottie Barnes has also shouldered more playmaking responsibility, recording double-digit assists in each of the three games immediately following Quickley’s injury. Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles has provided a spark off the bench with efficient scoring.
The Raptors sit at 43-34, slotted sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. They lead the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers by half a game in the race to avoid the play-in tournament. Securing a top-six seed would guarantee a first-round playoff spot and bypass the single-elimination gauntlet that awaits the seventh through 10th seeds.
#6 Raptors hold their spot by 0.5 games in a tight East race 👀
A win keeps them in position.
Watch Brandon Ingram and the Raptors take on Jaylen Brown and the #2 Celtics with seeding on the line at 3:30pm/et on NBA TV 🍿 pic.twitter.com/DyoQ6dUiNW
— NBA (@NBA) April 5, 2026
Toronto has five games remaining, including today’s matchup in Boston, back-to-back home contests against the Miami Heat, a visit to the Knicks, and a regular-season finale at home against Brooklyn.
The Celtics and Knicks represent the toughest tests, but the Miami games loom large for tiebreaker implications. With Quickley’s status still uncertain, the Raptors will need their depth to hold up in the stretch run.
