Toronto Raptors Media Availability | Postgame vs. Houston Rockets | February 9, 2024

Toronto Raptors Media Availability | Postgame vs. Houston Rockets | February 9, 2024

Kind of what you’d expect from a young team playing so well so many times and a couple of blips but in the end they played pretty well down the start that was one of our last uh uh timeouts there uh I think I we had the

Nine or 10 point lead with with five six minutes to go and I told guys like we just need to learn how to close those games you know what it takes how to execute how to you know get that extra rebound that we need uh it it came down

To last couple of possessions that we need to to get a stop uh it’s going to be really good film for us to to watch and then learn um in the second half they did much more switching one through five and that uh slowed down us and ball

Movement we had 15 assists in the first half and and only nine in the second half um that was the main takeaway of the game um in that last play when Brooks H the three in the far Corner did you think the foul were you thinking

About fouling or is it a judgment call on the players part uh we were thinking uh fouling but with the uh short timeout we were talking about the 2 seconds at the end or shot before that shot before that yes we were talking about that like

He was just way wide open we we were not close enough to to foul that but on on the last possession no because with two seconds on a shot clock usually players are going to catch being in a shooting motion there and we were trying to avoid

Fouling on that one yeah I mean in the first half it looked like as said you guys are very cohesive Bruce Brown I thought looked as good as he’s looked maybe since he’s been here and then uh how do you kind of keep that ball movement and cutting going when they’re

Switching so much and sort of stifling you what’s the what’s the um uh so when teams are switching we had uh two posss where we scored in the first half you got to be able to change Pace you got to be able to slip more and to create confusion and those situations are

Creating actually open cuts and then layups or somebody’s going to be open for a for a shot so those are the reads and and things that we needed to uh to work on it happened a couple of times I called defense tonight and four players are looking at me like we don’t know

What what it is you know so uh so but overall I think we we did a lot of good stuff uh I’m really proud of our effort to prevent them from scoring in the paint they scored only 38 points uh comparing to 84 points in the previous

Game seven days ago so uh we’re doing much better job of taking Pride on the ball but also shifting and helping each other that was uh probably the best drop defense we’ve seen played from the team in about a month how nice is it to have that conservative package to go to from

The start of the game to work from out of that uh it is nice uh it’s a it’s a great uh Pride that our guys took tonight upon themselves and uh everybody uh they just stepped up uh I think we in the first half we had 27 deflections we

Had 13 Steels we created 21 points off of off of those uh steals so that’s something that we going to continue to build um anytime that looked like for us that we have a little bit of um uh fatigue then then we slowed down we missed a couple of layups or wide open

Shots we just going to continue building that stamina on both ends of the floor we talked pregame about uh not having a backup point guard essentially and Scotty is going to take more of that role what do you think of him and that with those bench units

Without uh I thought that that he was doing a good job there um it kind of like overl because those moments they started actually switching much more one through five so that slowed us down a little bit um they were creating some cushion playing off of him uh I think

That he needs to be more assertive that when he has open shots to to take those shots but I thought that that his playmaking tonight was uh was outstanding that he was uh finding his teammates uh end of the game he was making huge winning plays rebounding the ball um I thought

That he played really well a couple of those situations he had around the rim uh um could it be a foul or not I I thought that that that um there should be a little bit of uh respect level there for him to to get him a couple

More calls but overall I think it was really good game you were talking about one of man to get up more threes I think he got nine up tonight did you like the way he was looking for his shots D yes uh especially in the in the first half

Uh he was able to get some out of pick and rols uh and uh in transition but also his teammates found him I believe that two of those threes in the first half came from Scotty posttop and kick the ball out to him so um yes we want

Him to shoot uh 10 10 threes a game and he was able to get nine tonight and that’s going to continue continue getting better piou questions please yeah ready go ahead uh the pick and roll Chemistry Between you up between IQ and Yak has been developing very well

Famously in in Memphis you worked with Stephen Adams who incredible screener great sealer how much of that do you sort of see in the connection between IQ and Yak it’s just the start of those guys trying to figure it out together uh we had those two guys when we were

Rehabing in Houston we had a great great workout they were able to go together for like 45 minutes and we dissected uh pick atoll game to to the point with those guys what they need to look for how we need to set screens what angles what we’re doing against to xanders how

To create threes but also how Yak needs to be able to when quickly is turning the corner and how Yak needs to to get get offensive rebounds when you look at the switching in the second half do you hope that sometimes maybe IQ and Scotty look to initiate Twan action because of

The inherent Advantage there yeah we did it a couple of times uh um it was just they were quite physical it prevented some easy roles there uh but uh every game we’re trying to put them in those situations that that they can play off of each other and and create Scotty on

The ball and quickly setting screens but also vice versa Yak uh seems like you and RJ are actually sort of developing some chemistry what have you made of his playmaking skills since he’s come over um I mean he’s doing a good job job like he’s a tough finisher so a lot of times

The defense kind of collapses on him and when they do he’s find doing a good job like finding me for late dump offs and stuff uh so yeah I think he had a couple assists for me tonight and even in the last few games you able to zon tonight

Um a bit more than last week what what did you guys do differently as a team to sort of limited shot attempt um I mean I think we we had a focus as a team to like um take the paint away um So that obviously includes like most of his

Points as well but um also on drives like we were just more active as as a team and we had a different energy in in today’s game um compared to the last one as the anchor at the bottom of the defense how much does the nail help

You’re being more active in the gaps at the top how much does that help and affect what you’re able to do at the bottom obviously finishing with six B um I mean obviously it helps a lot um because it it just discourages drives um

To begin with so um if we can stop the drive um at the nail um and have them kick it out and take contested threes then that’s a lot better for us than having them Drive downhill where we get into like deeper rotations and it’s it’s tougher to keep up with um putting

Everybody else in in a little bit of a um worse spot um so yeah if if we’re successful on the nail with with our shifts that that helps a lot yeah sorry obviously uh by moments we led by as much as 20 but it end up being pretty

Close poose game this is an increasingly young team with all the moves that have been made how can as a group can you learn from a a win like this um I mean just I guess be more solid um at the end of the game um there was there was a

Couple of mistakes in there also like when when we had the lead and and we’re dribing the ball up the court I think we got to keep our aggressiveness a little bit it’s it’s one thing not to play Wild and like try and manage your lead um you

Want to play smart but um we almost like made it a little we made it a little bit too easy on them getting stops at there at the end of the game and I think part of it is also us missing a couple of looks that usually go in so um I’m not

Too worried about it but um especially because we we found a way to win what are the conversations like in the locker room afterwards like what do you say what do other veteran presents or or darkos say after them like that um I mean it’s a good win for us um and it’s

At the same time it’s a learning experience like being in a in a game like that um when it comes down to the wire um like cleaning up those um mistakes on defense cleaning up um like even rebounds at the end of the game they kind of like kept them in the game

A little bit uh getting a little bit better organized um stuff like that um yeah played against Kelly for a long time what do you think he’s going to bring to the team um he’s a very crafty player um he’s he’s good with the with the ball in

His hands like he he finds his teammates like he’s he’s good facilit facilitator um can also stretch the floor out there so um pretty versatile out there on on offense um and then yeah uh like you said he’s a veteran player he’s very smart the way he he reads the game the

Way he attacks the game so um I’m sure he can help us out um there as well especially with some of the younger players I was asking uh Darko about your screening ability just the chemistry between you and IQ RJ as well how does your approach change when you’re

Screening for IQ RJ even Scotty like is there a different way you approach the screens when it comes to those guys I mean yeah like you first of all you trying to develop uh chemistry with um everybody out there on the court and especially those guys where we we are in

In a lot of picking roles together um and then yeah depending on um what player is comfortable with what like how much the defense is going over or under on them like I got to change my screens the way how long I hold them like um

There’s a lot of different um aspects to it um yeah just try and try and read it to the best of my ability yeah is it kind of a relief now to have the treadline trade deadline passed and you know these are pretty much who you’re going to be

Working with for the rest of the year start working working towards that I mean it’s it’s good in a sense that like like you said now we know what we got and we can we can try and build on this um know those team’s going to stay

Together exactly this way at least until the end of the season um and we kind of like obviously like there’s it’s just like a a new wave of young players and we’re we’re trying to build something so um we can look at the rest of the season

For us to like get a head start there like make a make a push here like we’re not in a in a great spot with uh when it comes to the standings but um yeah why not like try and grow something here like make make a push for for a play and

Like get those experiences um and at the same time like really try and build um uh yeah a new team here like new chemistry new new everything thanks for watching the Toronto Raptors YouTube channel check out our latest video And subscribe for [Applause] moread

Player and coach speak with the media following the Raptors’ 107-104 victory over to the Houston Rockets on Friday.

00:00 – Darko Rajakovic
06:19 – Jakob Poeltl

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