Toronto Raptors Media Availability | Postgame vs New York Knicks | March 27, 2024

Toronto Raptors Media Availability | Postgame vs New York Knicks | March 27, 2024

BR you so much of this season you’ve been uh it’s about how you can create off the ball kind of moving and cutting and and sort of become more limited role what have been kind of learning about your game now that you got to kind of

Initiate more offense on your own um I mean humbly I think it’s just more of an as in you know as more time goes by I get more comfortable with it it’s just kind of me showing what I can do um with it but um obviously I’m more interested

In just how I can use it to you know help the team um in any way not only just scoring you know get on the floor you know all the kind of the Dirty Work stuff like that whatever I can do I just want to try to bring in um you know

Whatever that like I said the team needs at that point it’s um fun to kind of show everyone that kind of more facets in my game that probably people don’t really see when they they look at me after it was a tough start to your rookie season is it kind of exciting now

That you’re able to turn like just a regular pinam stagger sets into dangerous stuff for the team and to show like hey I’m here giving them C of points night tonight tons of that stuff yeah I think you know at the same time it’s just opportunity and I’m thankful

For the opportunity I’ve been given and and the team that I’m on and and the teammates that I’m with because they make it so much easier for me and you know as we you know made some of those trades in the middle of the season and

Got guys like RJ and um quick that you know brought a ton of attention you know made it only easier for me and you know guys like me and Gary um to get open shots and so it’s it’s nice to um be able to kind of you know get back for

You know what they’ve you know when they’re driving you know whatnot and getting their own and um opening up different things and that allows us to kind of open our offense to them and um so it’s kind of cool when you you get different opportunities like that and

Just play off that play off each other what does it mean to you that you can score 23 points at this level like what kind of confidence does that give you um I mean like I said humbly again um it’s something I feel like I’ve I can always

Have the the chance to do um I mean it’s not as much about points you know when we get a tough loss like this um but you know you kind of take away the loss in the game and think about me as a rookie and um what I’ve

Been you know trying to achieve as my dream as a little kid it is cool to think about um that I was able to put up some points but at the same time you know it really doesn’t mean anything without a win um so that’s kind of it to

That but I mean I’m going to go out there and just you know try to play my game every night the guarding uh guarding Jaylen Brunson uh sometimes in space and you know what do you what was that kind of experience like what do how do you kind of measure yourself in that

Kind of match up yeah it’s tough I mean it’s tough to guard a guy like that um that’s you know so quick and um just so so low to the ground where um you got to just stay on him you can’t um just waste any time with it cuz you look away one

Sec you know you could just be going around you so um but in my situation it’s it’s amazing for me and I need that um um you know I always talk about at my age but at my age you know that’s what what I need as a rookie I’m playing

Against guys like that and just getting me prepared for um the next you know possessions leading forward and just the next games and then more to the future with you know different years so it’s um great going against guys like that not in not out mention the loss um obviously

You’re used to winning most of your games what’s this loss like how are you dealing with all these losses basically it’s different obviously with you know how many games we play in the NBA compared to um college right now we have like nine or 10 left and that’s a big

Chunk of the college season and we’re thinking you know this is just a couple weeks so it’s just crazy to think about um cuz you know you’re in college and I’m yeah used to you lose a tough game you got all week to think about it and

It’s just kind of you know stinks that whole week but U I think the thing about that I’m learning you know quick at the start of the Season you know through the Vets was um how you can’t just you know dwell on what just happened um with you

Know how quick the turn rounds are you just got to move on to the next one and um obviously take some time and think about what we can you know do better but at the same time um just build from that and then just move forward and just kind

Of think about the think about the future in a way Sim similarly um what is there anything from this season maybe either from your own perspective or like what’s going on on the team as a whole um are there any lessons that you think that you’ll take into maybe the later

Years of your your career maybe think back like oh like because that happened in my rookie season I can kind of learn from it or something like that of course I think you know I found out quick just with the changes and just kind of the the craziness of Trades and and through

That where you know you’re your boy’s with you one night and then you know the next morning he’s you know off to a different city which is you know crazy in my eyes for the first time seeing that so I think it’s just um look for the changes but I think the biggest

Thing is really just be prepared for anything um you know you never know when your name’s going to be called and you know it could be random in a game and then some guys might be out just like you know our season and you’re playing more minutes and you just got to be

Prepared for that so I think um learning that from the Vets early too was was amazing with Garrett and you know Thad when he was here and aotto um of just such a long season there’s going to be ups and downs but as long as you’re prepared and you stay consistent and you

Can be ready for you know really anything that the game throws at you so there’s a lot of triple threat in your game footwork is a huge part of it do you guard a guy like Jaylen Brunson or watch him how he moves through game and

Try and pick things up he’s one of the best in the league sure yeah for sure I mean the way he can yeah like you said Triple Threat when he gets in the paint and just plays off two feet um it’s kind of it’s not overlooked don’t get me

Wrong it’s it’s but it’s like the fundamentals that people Overlook um and you know if they wonder why he scores so much it’s just because he plays the game you know the right way and you know gets in there makes the right decisions and you know if he doesn’t have a shot he

Passes out to teammates and he draws the attention so um it’s definitely great to play against guys like that like I said earlier with you know you know that helps me out and um definitely just helps out our defense when we can learn from different things like that and how

We can use it to next games addition the stutter rip I think is your most common move out of the Triple Threat which which player did you pick that up from do you remember I don’t know I think it was just summer workouts when I was

Little I’m just trying to like you said when I get my triple threat I got to figure out different ways if I’m not going to shoot it or or pass it how I can get open and um I found out that I mean just over time that works so it up

And get ready for Sunday what what happen I mean got to get ready for uh for Sunday but also uh cannot take anything for granted you know anytime when you step on the floor all all I’m asking for is give your best and give your best not just

Physically but also you know following the game plan and being focused you know focus is a is a big one and uh I thought that tonight uh obviously they’re more physical team but uh bigger and bit more physical team I thought that our uh Focus was not where it needs to be and

Uh where that’s that’s area where we can get better over here we’re going to have uh three days uh opportunity to to practice and watch film and uh and learn from those mistakes and get better is that surprising given that so many guys are actually playing for their

Jobs and I don’t think it’s uh surprising uh it’s um you know maybe maybe this disappointing you know but uh it’s not easy for this group of guy guys to hold it ground every single night you know and then a lot of games lately we were very competitive we stayed in a

Game and uh you know nights like this happen and hopefully we learn from this and and get better and uh on Sunday we play a much much more competitive game just to be clear you’re not thinking or or sensing an effort problem or of a concentration and

Focus I I thought that was a combin ation of uh of both tonight to be honest with you it was a little bit of of effort but like when somebody’s like twice your size there’s not much that you can do especially like rebounding uh they got uh 16 offensive rebounds and

Mitchell Robinson which he checked in on the court looked like a giant out there but uh that’s uh that’s that’s that’s the moment we’re in and uh we got to find a way you know we cannot just rely on one player to rebound the ball we got

To be more focused to to send more people inside and to to do better job rebounding the ball and offensively to take care of of the ball as well uh we scored 59 points in the first half we had 20 assists in the first half but uh

We we were not able to sustain that that uh offensive game in the second part most of those competitive games you mentioned recently have been on the road it seems like a lot of these types of nights have come at home recently is that disappointing something that you

Guys have talked about maybe just in terms of like being more competitive and defending home court better yeah I mean I always tell our team that we have the best fans in the world and that they deserve our best effort every single night you know so uh um unfortunately

But it it was the case uh last last couple of games but uh I’m hopeful we can uh turn this around and then be much more competitive at home as well you’ve uh you’ve obviously been a head coach at different levels this is your first time

As I coaching the NBA with some of these bullet losses and some of the like a difficult season to be sure are you learning anything about how you approach trying to get like the maximum maximum effort how to stick to the game plan over time and all the different guys

Coming in what have you learned this season regarding that um definitely I’m learning a lot this this whole year I’m learning a lot just the different situations that we are facing um night in and night out you know we did not plan for roai to get injured in the

First quarter and it’s just like how how to continue staying competitive in those games is the most important thing for me and finding ways to to improve I thought that the Grady tonight that he had some some really good moments out there uh for us but uh it has to go to another

Level and it’s always like asking for more and always asking for better execution and better focus and and all of that so it’s U it’s with a big change of players night in and night out it’s not making it easier but it’s the the

Moment that the in uh we got to see the big picture and really focus on developing pieces and plant seeds that going to give us great fruits in the future obviously Garrett has had an impact on you guys all year even if we haven’t seen it even if it’s been in the

Room but when the 37-year-old is out there diving on the floor and and those hustle plays doing those little things how how good of an example is that for the young guys that’s that’s absolutely great example you know for somebody who’s been in league for such a long

Time to understand what it takes to compete and win at this level uh I think he’s a great example you know for for a big part of the year he was great example you know with talk and conversation and Leadership and lock room and now he’s uh he’s able to go out

There and uh you know to show that his words are not just words that he’s capable to follow the game plan and to be focused and to give the best effort he can as well do you have an update on oai uh not not not yet he’s still um

With doctors evaluating he you know but I don’t have any any update at this point uh what did you see on that play um I just saw that that he fall down pretty badly on his back pretty much like like everybody did and uh for a second it was really scary that

Because he could not move at all it was just great to see him to be able to walk off the floor and I hope that it’s nothing serious thanks for watching the Toronto Raptor YouTube channel check out our latest videos and subscribe for more Trent answers back Gary side step great got it

Gradey Dick and Head Coach Darko Rajakovic speak with the media following the Raptors’ 145-101 loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday.

0:00 Gradey Dick
6:29 Darko Rajakovic

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