Toronto Raptors Media Availability | Postgame at New Orleans Pelicans | February 5, 2024

Toronto Raptors Media Availability | Postgame at New Orleans Pelicans | February 5, 2024

We knew that fatigue would probably be a factor in tonight’s game just given the double overtime against OKC but what did you see out there from your guys today uh especially because they did have a bit of a spark in the second uh fatigue uh is part of this

League I this is a league that there are no excuses and nobody’s asking you uh what did you do yesterday you have a job to do today and uh our performance today was unacceptable and uh this is not a way we want to go about a business

Business uh we just did not do enough in any area tonight to to be competitive team I mean when you look at that does it breakdown differently for the starters or some of the guys you brought Off the Bench I mean a lot of times you

Have guys who are dying for minutes and then they have an opportunity and we are we are a team and tonight it was a whole team that that that failed from starters to bench to to guys at the end that came out to play in a four quarter that’s not

It that’s not it and uh after playing very competitive game yesterday uh and went into two over times this was very disappointing the way we perform today is that the message you you delivered to them I mean obviously like you were saying there are lots of excuses you

Could give but we we we don’t look for excuses that’s not how we want to build that that’s not how I’m built uh uh as I said we have a job we have a privilege to have this job to play and perform in NBA and uh when 700 p.m. um is there you

Got to be ready and we we just did not do the good enough job uh tonight in that area I know that it’s hard to be ready and and there’s no excuses absolutely but I would say potentially a silver lining might be Grady’s performance tonight as he had a career

High as a rookie um what did you see from him um he was able to to get on the SP spots on the floor to to uh get open shots uh he was able to to get a couple of really good Cuts I thought that there were a couple of opportunities more for

Him to do that um he did good job today on offensive end uh but uh as a whole team uh he needs to do better on defensive end and rebounding and um you know I do not like to point out uh you know players in in the performance like we had

Tonight you said unacceptable was there any particular aspect that you didn’t like whether it’s perimeter defense I know they had 19 threes and Ingram kept made five in a row there was was that any was it something like that it was it was a lot of stuff it was from uh

Aggressiveness on the ball it was it was in the first quarter uh rebounding uh it was getting back in transition we were just like one step late on everything we were doing tonight and that included those pick and roll defense and uh um we were on the wrong side there uh trying

To send him to the left hand and uh we just did not execute what we were supposed to do tonight all right before we dive into your individual performance tonight just give me your overall thoughts on what you saw out there tonight as a team I mean all respect you know to the

Pelicans you know they’re um a physical team you know that just plays hard you know every possession but you know I felt like we came out um aggressive you know in certain points that um we were happy with obviously and um you know it was just a competitive game and then um

Some points you in the second half where it was just you know we talked about it after that you know we just need to be locked in you know for a whole game and um just play hard every second you know Carry On To The Next One coach said that

You were finding your spots out there offense ly on the court what did you see that was working for you I’m just taking what the defense that was giving me um you know like he said you know when I’m trying to maneuver around the around the

Court you know like you said find my spots and um I mean it’s just one of the things where where the offense is going and we’re moving the ball um and not really letting it stick and that just helps me and um it helps our team and um

I think it you know when you have a unselfish you know playing group it just makes a lot more you know gaps where they wouldn’t be open before but they are now that we moov the ball so what tone did Darko come in with there after

After the game like obviously it was a really tough game last night and that’s a really good team you’re playing tonight how but you also don’t want to get in the habit of making those excuses right so so what was how did he come in

Just tot wise I think it’s just that you know no excuses um like you said it’s you know the end of a back back to back and um that’s no excuse at all you know we can’t come in here and you know try to give reasons to that you know it’s

Really just like I said earlier just coming in and you know playing with that aggression and um really just the dog mentality to go out and how tired we are um just to play every you know possession like it’s our last and um you know we got to regroup after this and

Just carry on to the next game and remember that as a whole and you know just keep being unselfish and just keep you know being the good guys that we are in the locker room and just put that out on the floor we talked earlier in the season

About Garrett and his kind of mentorship role and um as the season has progressed for you have you kind of some of those messages you was delivering earlyer the air they’ve started to kind of resonate and and you kind of see where he’s coming from in some of those messages of

Course you know Garrett’s amazing you know he always is and you know he’s you know I can’t say the best vet I’ve ever had CU I’ve only had one but he’s got to be you know the best vet out there and um in terms of actually just caring

About me you know not only as a basketball player but as a person and I think to answer that question it’s really just um the advice of how grueling the season is how long it is and you know when there’s ever times where you know you’re going to have your

Ups and downs and when you get in your Downs you you know I always have someone to go to and you know kind of talk my way out of it with him and um there’s been you know points where I have and like I said I don’t even know what game

We’re at but you know it’s um into that part of the Season where it’s kind of you know that February time where um guys start to you know feel it really and you know I definitely have you know felt it but here and there but I think

That’s just know it’s normal and um NBA basketball and so whenever I feel like that I just go straight to him and him and Thad whoever it is and you know they’re great guys with that it’s never ideal to have your career high on a game

Like tonight where you got has lost um but taking nothing for granted especially as a rookie how did it feel to have a career high tonight you know I never want to you know talk about obviously that when when we lose a game like that and um so I don’t mean any in

Selfish way at all but away from you know how we played and um the end of the game it’s special um to to put up those points obviously cuz I talk about all the time of it being my dream to being the NBA so for me to you know go out

There and play that way offensively is you know a dream come true obviously but you know like you said in the end um we just got to figure out you what we can do as a team and to make it feel better obviously if we get a win and and and at

The same time so you had that run in the second quarter I guess and was it good to feel in a flow uh you know it doesn’t you know probably hasn’t happened all that many times this year where you just probably could just let it come and the

Game seemed easy maybe yeah yeah just getting comfortable you know as as the possessions kept going and um like you said yeah finding my groove with with the shots and you know it’s obviously a lot easier to get get P to when you’re making shots so um you know that’s going

To be with any team and um like I was talking about with the unselfish guys on this team is you know they’re always going to find that one more pass and um you know we continue to you know make a great pass into or make a good pass into

A great pass and um we’re going to we’re going to really you know evolve and you know be the team we need to be thanks for watching the Toronto rappers YouTube channel check out our latest video And subscribe for more in a crow wide open the that

Players and coach speak with the media following the Raptors’ 138-100 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday.

00:00 – Darko Rajakovic
02:53 – Gradey Dick

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