Toronto Raptors Media Availability | February 1, 2024

Toronto Raptors Media Availability | February 1, 2024

Uh do you have players available um getting better uh today uh full participants uh quickly and uh um yak and uh still non contact for uh for RJ today uh so we’ll see what it looks like for for him tomorrow morning you talked the other day about RJ wanting to

Teach him a floater shot maybe in the summer might be thing to add to his Arsenal got a great one like what how does that shot change the way players play um I think uh everybody’s talking about like being able to have like three lever scoring be able to finish at The

Rim to have mid-range and have threes like those shots when you when you’re coming um to the to the rim and there is a really really good shot protector you know when you have uh Rudy goar’s of the world when you have vayama now in the

League like you got to be creative with with with some of the finishes there and uh that’s how players in this league constantly getting better they’re constantly finding ways to score against different personnel and uh I would not agree that the defense defenses are bad today like and uh everybody’s trying

Everybody’s game planning everybody’s preparing it’s just that the skill level of the offensive players is through the roof yeah that’s TR that I guess when Mark Jackson going to call it teardrop but now everybody’s got it and it’s a floater kind of in Vogue now this day

And age in the game emanuel’s got it because of size do you think that’s how we had to learn it do you think is that why uh that’s that’s fair so uh in Europe first guy that that started using that shot was uh Juan Carlos Navaro yeah

And that they called his shot lab bomba and it it is really funny how he came up with that shot it was not a coach that showed him that he had two older brothers and when he was playing against them he just needed to find a way to get

The ball to to the rim and he he started using those shots you know it came out of necessity you know uh and I think a similar thing thing happened with Nikola yic he has two older brothers that used to beat him up when they were playing

And he had to find all of those different angles and ways uh to to score you know a lot of times coaches be want to take credit for some of those those things but it’s at the end of the day it’s players that find to find Solutions

The um you work with Dylan Brooks in Houston sorry in in Memphis and uh you know what did you come to appreciate about him and and you see why a team like Houston went out and got him uh what’s what’s was your behind the scenes with Dylan Dylan is a player that finds

Motivation uh for every single game every single game he’s always on he’s always motivated and he’s ready to affect the game in any possible way uh he takes a lot of Pride on defensive end he’s uh one of the best defenders in the league and uh that kind of attitude that

He has that transfers on the whole team and he’s keeping guys accountable on a team that they need to be better defensive they they need to box out and he just you know he’s a first line of defense and every night guarding anybody from point guard to four man and when he

Brings that kind of uh kind of tenacity every single night it just gets gets whole team better the I mean the public perception of him especially last year it’s sort of kind of spun out of control a little bit he was you know he was responsible for some of that but behind

The scenes I suspect he’s a very different person teammates seem to appreciate what he does uh great teammate very coachable player um always about a team um I always loved being around Dylan uh and he’s a great Family Guy when you see him uh around his

Daughter and the way the way he acts with his daughter you see that he’s amazing amazing human being I I have a lot of lot of respect for him I know you weren’t able to coach Fred directly but what just by observation or having you know seen him on the other side what

Stands out to you about Fred very similar things uh like with Dylan Brooks like the how competitive he is uh how hard he plays every single night uh for a small guard he’s always in the action he’s always active he always getting taking charges and getting Steals and just finding the ways

To win and uh I I really admire the way he was raised up from uh g-league uh and finding the way to to be on a roster to become uh to become a starter in the league uh his his progression was amazing in over the last eight nine

Years the um when you look at Houston last the last two years let’s say Obviously a team at the bottom very very very young and then you know how do you think the influx of people like Fred like Dylan uh you know Uncle Jeff they you know kind of what have you observed

In as you study a team like that adding those type of players definitely brought a a quality and experience and uh uh having that kind of Veteran presence on the team helps with the team to to know what they want to accomplish and to believe in that and uh I I think that

They’re playing a really good season uh they made a huge jumps comparing to to previous couple of years but also those players that played previous two three years with Houston they grow they grown up they they they they they needed that kind of experience to to get to the

Level where they’re at right now old friend Dylan Brook and uh you know I try to explain this to you all the time like what the public sees a Dyan is not he’s he’s might be the nicest guy you ever met and uh that’s a guy that you you

Want on your team you know when it when it comes to the game he’s he’s serious he plays really hard so yeah and is he have you had a taste of how irritating he can be um and why people a lot of people don’t know him don’t like it

Absolutely every time every time we play each other we talk trash the whole game we pushing each other all that and then as soon as the buzzer sounds you know big hug like like I said he’s like one of the nicest dudes that you’ll ever

Meet but then on the court he’s a he’s a real competitor are you a trash talker at at normal times or is it like only the guys you really know who break it out of you sometimes I mean like like DLo was talking trash the other day I talk trash

But you know I D and I went to the same high school so I know of him you know and stuff like that uh but you know definitely Dylan probably talk trash to the most for sure we’re going to get the three of you this week you Dylan and

Shay right out back to back to back talk about your summer and how it made what you guys are doing this year possible yeah yeah I know uh you know us three guys we really uh really did a lot this this summer you know with of course with

The rest of the team and so it’s good to be able to you know go up against those guys and just see how they’re doing and see how everybody’s career is going um it’s a lot of fun and then of course we’re going to link up again this summer one thing sh said

One thing Dylan said last night about Shay was that he’s great but he also makes the players around him great and that’s a very unique skill did you see that in in the at the World Cup yeah for sure I mean and and he’s a he’s a player

Where it’s like he can really go and score whenever he wants so you know so when he’s when he’s passing to the to the rest of us and and now we’re all playing well that’s you know that’s a huge skill huge talent and you know it

Takes a lot for a player like like him to to do that you go back with him since you were like little and skinny and uh obviously he was a very talented guy like you don’t end up at kitu because you’re you know unknown but but to see

Him become maybe the leading handed for MVP are even you a little bit surprised at the the trajectory he was so he was he was really good but he was short and then he got to 66 out of nowhere and then that just became like Unstoppable

So yeah no he’s he’s really good I always tell I always tell people that Shay’s one of the best basketball players I’ve ever like seen play so he he’s really good and that’s why whenever I play him I I talk trash of him too

Yeah I talked a lot of trash of him all game long cuz you know he’s he’s really good at getting Steals and stuff so I try to tell I tell the refs like hey man every time I drive Shay’s going to foul me you know so I just try to talk a lot

Of trash to him but n you know love playing with Shay obviously you know great guy and great player do you think he’s do you think he should be MVP I mean the way he’s the way he’s playing now he’s definitely in that conversation I mean there’s a lot of great players in

This league but what he’s doing is special the and and it’s interesting you look at Shay yourself Dylan Nelle and probably missing one or two guys Kelly like everyone seems to have come off that team and and had a really good season and and what’s do you think

There’s a connection between that’s for sure I mean just the the basketball that we played he gave kind of gave everybody even extra confidence you know and now you see it and everyone’s games everyone’s really playing well this year um just in terms of just kind of not necessarily basketball related but team

Dinner related how is it what was that like last night just to come together again and I know you guys had several over the course of the season but um I mean you’re still new to the team do you feel like the team is coming together

Now man it’s cool to be able to hang out with your teammates you know hang out with your teammates have dinner with the whole with everybody honestly um get to learn new things about people um get a good meal get a free meal you know so

It’s uh no it’s been it’s been really cool and good fashion tips oh yeah course you good yeah I got I got a nice hat so I’m I’m feeling good about it how do you feel like that kind of translates to the court though I think that’s you

Know team chemistry uh more you learn about one another more uh you pick each other’s brain um basketball or you know off the court stuff it really does it has a way of just helping when you’re on the court just you know being able to know somebody maybe know where they want

The ball or don’t want the ball and be able to help each other out how’s your knee it’s ah it hurts but but it’s getting better so yeah and I guess my one last question sorry is uh just how impressed have you been with your teammates just kind of stepping up with

All these injuries yeah I mean last last night was a I mean a couple days ago that was a great win um we have enough man whoever goes out there on the court really plays hard um competes you know even Atlanta that was a good game you know had a chance to win

At the end so know last couple games been playing really really good basketball thanks for watching the Toronto rappers YouTube channel check out our latest video And subscribe for more in a wide

Player and Coach address the media following Thursday’s practice.

0:00 – Darko Rajakovic
5:34 – RJ Barrett

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