The Toronto Raptors are entering a season of development.
The franchise made its direction clear last season when they traded both O.G. Anunoby and Pascal Siakam to position Scottie Barnes as the new face of the franchise.
This Raptors team is young and the players seem well connected.
“This team has very high empathy and love for each other and they are really cheering for each other. In each game and practice, they’re doing a really good job of communicating with each other…that’s a testament for teams that are very connected. I do believe that’s going to translate into the games as well,” coach Darko Rajakovic told reporters after practice.
This will be the first full season of the Raptors rebuild and Rajakovic knows that if the team is going to be successful they need to be in sync.
“We’re talking about our togetherness…taking about our competitive spirit…a need to win every single day, to win every practice, to win every shoot-around, to win and compete in every single game so for us this year is everything is going to be about process and our growth,” Rajakovic said.
Immanuel Quickley who is a big part of the Raptors young core, recognized that this is a tight group. He said that the players being as close as they are will help the on-court production.
“One of the close-knit groups I’ve been around and I think it definitely translates on the court just the fact that you can trust someone on the floor when your team is you know together off the floor a lot, guys can just bond a lot and it translates as far as defensively, trust, communication, being able to hold others accountable,” Quickley said.
If the Raptors are going to develop and make progress, team chemistry needs to be at an all-time high and it looks like Toronto is working towards that.
RJ Barrett shares update on his injury
It seems unlikely that RJ Barrett will be ready for Toronto Raptors season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Barrett did comment on his injury status and said his goal is to play in the Raptors opener. However, he will see how he feels tomorrow. He said recovering from his shoulder injury has been a “work in progress,” and he wants to make sure he’s fully healed before returning, he told reporters.
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