When requested in regards to the expectations for the Toronto Raptors‘ upcoming season on the staff’s media day on Monday, Darko Rajaković was in lockstep with Bobby Webster, explaining that they are going to have a measured, incremental strategy to success.
The third-year head coach voiced comparable variations of the “win each possession” and “enhance one per cent daily” platitudes that Webster, the newly named head of basketball operations, did in his availability with media on Friday.
However whereas the management group was reticent to make any daring proclamations in regards to the Raptors’ objectives, the gamers’ underlying perception of their skills bubbled to the floor because the day went on.
“I feel our expectations for our staff is to undoubtedly make the playoffs and win some video games within the playoffs,” Scottie Barnes mentioned, within the first vital departure from Rajaković and Webster’s extra tentative solutions on the topic.
“That is the usual,” Barnes continued. “That is the underside line, with how proficient we’re and what we should always be capable of obtain for this staff. we’re hungry, we have quite a bit to show and we will go on the market and present it.”
Rajaković and his complete projected beginning 5 (Barnes, Jakob Poeltl, Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley) addressed media members on Monday, offering solutions on the state of the staff because it prepares to chart a brand new course firstly of coaching camp in Calgary on Tuesday.
Listed here are the important thing subjects that had been touched on all through the day.
Solutions relating to the staff’s expectations various, however the truth is that the Raptors are filled with younger starters coming into their respective primes and are fairly costly to not have eyes on the playoffs.
Mississauga native RJ Barrett did not hesitate to attract inspiration from the sudden success of his hometown Toronto Blue Jays.
“In a pair months from now it should be us. That is the mindset,” mentioned Barrett of the American League East division champions. “Undoubtedly, clearly joyful for them, cheering for them, for certain. We’re making an attempt to get again to the playoffs as effectively. Making an attempt to get again to the playoffs, make some noise.”
With the addition of Brandon Ingram to the beginning lineup — considered one of solely 9 gamers to common better than 23 factors, 5 rebounds and 5 assists during the last 5 seasons — and Barnes coming into the primary 12 months of his $224-million rookie scale extension, it seems that the Raptors’ transient, one-season rebuild is over and that every one focus can be directed in direction of taking a step ahead within the standings.
“This is likely one of the most enjoyable instances, is when you might have a staff like this the place individuals sort of do not know what to anticipate or do not anticipate a lot and also you sort of simply go and simply shock everyone,” Barrett added. “And we put within the work so we’re very assured moving into.”
Whereas Rajaković did not decide to a playoff look being the aim the identical means his gamers did, he additionally did not maintain again his need to succeed.
“I’ve excessive ambitions,” mentioned the Serbian bench boss. “I’m not shying away from that. So I’m prepared for the take a look at, I’m able to go on the market and compete.”
Beginning 5 making up for misplaced time
After vital time missed resulting from damage prevented the Raptors’ high unit from gelling totally final season, the projected beginning 5 have been making a concerted effort to construct chemistry within the lead-up to coaching camp.
“Deliberately, throughout the entire month of September when our guys had been in open health club, we had been placing our projected beginning 5 to play collectively as a lot as attainable,” mentioned Rajaković. “To start out exposing these issues (overlapping skillsets) and for them to get to know one another and their strengths. And I’ve been actually impressed with the flexibility of these guys to know who’s scorching in the mean time and who to force-feed.”
Ingram did not step on the ground for Toronto in 2024-25 and the remaining quartet performed solely 140 minutes collectively over 9 video games final season. For context, they had been the Fifteenth-most used four-man unit on the Raptors, beneath teams resembling Barrett, Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji and Davion Mitchell. League-wide, 581 four-man teams performed extra minutes final season.
Ingram and Barrett did not get a chance to play collectively final season, however they appear to already be up to the mark on one another’s tendencies.
“One factor that shocked me was RJ (Barrett). I assumed he was only a gunner, I assumed he simply shot the ball quite a bit,” mentioned Ingram. “However watching his sport and seeing him work all through the summer season, I’ve seen what he works on and the way it transfers to the sport. And he is regular. Scoring the basketball, on the defensive facet he is aggressive. And he is a man that does not complain about not having the basketball, it sort of simply attracts to him.”
Barrett’s response to Ingram’s revelations about his sport: “See, I cross the ball. I do!”
This is not the primary time the Canadian wing’s scoring proclivities have been the topic of jabs from his teammates. Nonetheless, Barrett did take a respectable step as a facilitator final season. The six-foot-six wing’s assists per sport jumped from 3.3 to five.4 and his possessions as a pick-and-roll ball handler with the Raptors doubled year-over-year, from 2.3 to 4.7.
Barrett additionally famous that Ingram “drives to the rim higher than he thought,” which the Raptors’ offence definitely lacked final season after they ranked final within the NBA within the proportion of their factors that got here from drives.
“I feel what’s impressed me is how a lot everyone has purchased into making an attempt to determine the place everyone else likes to play, or desires the ball, or what they’re snug in,” mentioned Poeltl. “No one to this point appears to be going on the market making an attempt to mark their very own territory. Be like ‘hey that is how I wish to do it,’ nearly everyone’s asking the query ‘Hey, what do you wish to do on this state of affairs?’
“I feel that is been actually cool to see and it speaks to how everyone’s purchased into making an attempt to determine it out collectively.”
Quickley is the purpose guard, however the Raptors have three different wings/forwards within the beginning lineup who can deal with the ball and create photographs for his or her teammates in Barnes, Barrett, and Ingram, making for a flexible beginning 5.
Defence will stay on the forefront
From the outset of final season (beginning with media day), the Raptors positioned a newfound emphasis on defence. Notably on the point-of-attack, with the on-ball defender being dubbed the “most vital man” or “MIG,” a title usually reserved for rim-protecting massive males. It took a while for outcomes to trickle in, however over the again half of 2024-25, the Raptors boasted the second-best defensive score within the NBA.
The Toronto hoops sickos that had been tapped in for Summer time League this previous July will know effectively how the Raptors’ youthful contingent wreaked havoc in opposition to opposing groups, forcing 136 turnovers over 5 video games — together with a Summer time League file 33 of their first sport — with relentless ball stress.
Selecting up defensive assignments larger up the ground has develop into the in vogue model of defence, and it solely figures to achieve steam after the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder steadily picked up the bring-up ball handler effectively into the backcourt in the course of the NBA Finals.
Making use of such aggressive stress ideas takes a ton of vitality. So it is sensible that Rajaković mentioned one of many staff’s “important objectives this summer season was to get into elite form,” citing the significance of conditioning in reaching their defensive objectives of being “extra aggressive on the ball” and “making an attempt to hurry up groups and make groups as uncomfortable as attainable.” Much more aggression from a Raptors defence that was among the many league leaders in common pick-up level final season is a scary prospect.
“For us the whole lot begins on (the) defensive finish,” mentioned Rajaković. “We wish to dominate on (the) defensive finish, we wish to be disruptive on (the) defensive finish, we would like to have the ability to create a variety of steals and a variety of alternatives for us to run in transition. And after we do that it’s going to be a lot simpler for us to attain. It’s going to be a lot simpler for us to get in offence.”
The Raptors have relied on simple transition alternatives to complement a dreadful halfcourt offence for a half decade — they’ve ranked high 5 in transition frequency for seven straight seasons. But, their effectivity tanked final 12 months to the fourth-worst mark within the NBA after being within the high 10 the earlier two seasons.
Rajaković will nonetheless look so as to add to the staff’s fifth-ranked transition scoring mark from final season, led by Barnes’ “elite” play on the defensive finish.
“We have now a variety of guys which can be very keen defensive gamers and we’re maintaining the usual so excessive that everyone else is rising to the duty,” Rajaković mentioned. “To be sincere with you I don’t see a weak hyperlink for us defensively this 12 months and I’m not going to have a look at any participant on this staff to present him a free cross as a result of the defence isn’t on the degree that we anticipate. I’m going to maintain everyone accountable to the best requirements on the defensive finish.”
