Introductory Press Conference with Immanuel Quickley – January 1, 2024

Introductory Press Conference with Immanuel Quickley – January 1, 2024

Dan you’ll uh maybe just take us through uh when you found out about the trade and uh kind of what happened in the next 36 hours yeah I was in um Indie I was planning to play that night really I was asleep uh my agent called me and he said

Call me right away you’re getting traded thought it was still a dream cuz I had just woke up so uh but n um Toronto great City glad to be here and excited to get started seem to be an opportunity to more expand your game here and the rule

You’ll have are you looking forward to the to proving more of yourself I think that’s who I am as far as just uh always looking each and every day to try to find something new to get better at uh whether it be basketball off the court

Um just finding a way to be better I think is a part of who I am so um I think I’ll fit right in you know with this culture RJ just finished telling us that you’re like a brother to him how important is it for you to be traded

With someone that you’re close with and also someone who obviously knows the city very well yeah he he as soon as I got uh as soon as we got the word he told me anything I need hit him uh when I got to New York RJ was one of the

First guys that I got close with so uh and then playing against some USA versus Canada uh has always been cool so uh just having a brother like R.J is is is great what’s it been like I know it’s early yet but getting used to this team meeting coach rakovich seeing the

Facilities what’s the welcome been like from the Raptors been unbelievable couldn’t ask for anything better uh great City great culture uh the camaraderie of the team is great um you can tell that uh people care about each other around here um and and you couldn’t ask for anything better than it

Emanuel from the outside looking in where have you seen the growth in Scotty’s game over the last few years and how do you think you guys will be able to complement each other uh the way Scotty’s transformed his shot I think is probably the biggest thing uh he’s he’s

Taking and making a lot of Threes um so you know that’s probably one of the biggest parts of his game obviously everybody knows the versatility uh he brings on offense defense being able to switch and uh I think he just helps out a lot just because of the type of talent

He is uh makes it a lot easier for players like me to be able to thrive on both sides of the ball Manuel you said Happy New Year when you walked in here I guess just in general since it’s the new year what would be you know sort of a

Goal or something specific that you have to look forward to this year uh honestly I don’t really live by year to year I live by dayto day I try to be better I mean it is a new year but I try to live with the same mindset of just trying to

Get better each and every day so not too much is going to change for me as far as that but just trying to win just trying to win is probably the biggest thing uh here being part of a winning culture winning attitude a winning mindset um I think that’s probably the biggest thing

But dayto day I probably won’t change too much this has been an emotional time obviously the last 24 48 hours for you how have you been able to keep your faith in the process of just kind of going to the next thing uh that’s probably the biggest part of who I am uh

My faith uh the Lord is the the first and foremost most important thing in my life and just being able to lean on him uh has probably been the biggest thing for me uh obviously when you get traded Everything Changes uh what you eat who you know everything so um the faith is

Probably the biggest part for me right now yeah you touched on Scotty and how he’s grown how how do you knowing how he plays and feel like you guys could be a good have a good Synergy on the court and maybe create a one of those really

Nice Partnerships that that kind of can really help teams yeah he’s and playing with versatile players makes it easy you know playing with somebody that’s 610 can pass dribble shoot defend uh that makes the game really easy you really don’t have to do too much extra uh when

You playing with great players so uh I think just playing with other great players makes it easy and do you have a preference like like playing on the ball like creating opportunities or you’ve shown the ability obviously to play off the ball very well I feel like I’m I’m

An on the ball player but you know when you playing that’s why you train to do both uh if somebody has the ball I feel like I can spot up play that way but definitely on the ball I like making plays for my teammates I like getting other guys involved

So is there an area of your game that you felt like you can show more of that was maybe underutilized in New York yeah just uh just showing my creativity as far as creating for my teammates I think is something that you know when I was in

New York I was scoring a lot but uh just being able to show that I can make other guys around me better something that uh I want to be able to show you we talk to couple a couple reporters who covered you guys in New York and

They both said of you that you always seem to be happy enough and smile on your face where does that come from God is good he’s good he’s the the head of my life he gives me hope from day to day that I can be able to show everybody

Else you know that there’s hope uh in life you know a lot of people are hopeless in life they have nothing to live for they’re not living for anything but um that’s something that drives me each and every day and also just to be uh a better person not only on the court

But off the court um to be uh somebody who’s driven uh and working towards something I think is something that drives me and keeps me you know a Beat

Recently acquired Immanuel Quickley speaks with media ahead of tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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