Raptors' Quickley returns from 22-game absence vs. Nets, Barrett out

The Raptors are finally starting to return to health as they try to snap an 11-game losing streak.

Toronto guard Immanuel Quickley is set to make his return from a 22-game absence due to an elbow injury as the Raptors take on the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, head coach Darko Rajakovic told reporters.

Quickley will have an unspecified minutes restriction as he ramps back up from his time away from the game.

Guard Gradey Dick will also return from a one-game absence after missing Tuesday's outing with hamstring tightness. The Raptors will however be without RJ Barrett for a second-straight game as he continues to deal with an illness.

Quickley has missed 22 consecutive games with a partial elbow tear suffered midway through November. It was the latest in an injury-riddled campaign for Quickley, who has missed all but three games this season.

He previously missed all of training camp with a thumb sprain, then lasted only 14 minutes in Toronto's season opener before leaving with a bruised pelvis. That injury kept the 25-year-old out of the Raptors' lineup for eight games.

Quickley averaged 15.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists while shooting 37.5 per cent from distance in his three appearances this season.

The 25th-overall pick in 2020 played 38 games for Toronto during the 2023-24 season after being traded from New York, averaging 18.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists with a team-best 39.5 per cent three-point clip. Quickley signed a five-year, $175-million deal in the off-season to stay with Toronto.

His return would be a welcomed addition for the Raptors, who are on the second night of a back-to-back set and in the midst of their 11-game skid. At 7-26, Toronto is just half a game ahead of the Washington Wizards at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Tuesday's loss was a franchise-record 54-point thrashing courtesy of the defending champion Boston Celtics.