Toronto Raptors Media Availability | July 8, 2024

Toronto Raptors Media Availability | July 8, 2024

what does it feel like to be able to make this announcement I mean it really seemed like you wanted to set a new tone today uh yes it was important I think um uh to have these two guys as uh going into the next phase of uh what we call want to call a rebuild reset however we want to call it with all these young players I think uh these two talented players um we’ve done all our due diligence tried uh seen them in our program and seen their talent and um we feel strongly that these are um Scot um a type of player from day one in the draft um we he was somebody we targeted so it’s good to see him develop now um maturing growing uh into a uh into a position here where um he can he can now play and and maybe um feel himself in some kind of way and feel the team and um feel his teammates and and go and perform and and get better and grow do you think he’s been able to feel himself before this uh yes you know he’s young and so he’s 22 years old and it’s a it’s a process you know with with all of us um in in our growth and how we um how we see life how we take life and and there are many things that come at you when you’re in this position and I’m sure Scotty has has is really maturing and he’s had he’s had his times and but uh for me what I’ve seen in the last year I think um it’s incredible signs that uh CU is he’s really feeling feeling himself now and and and how he wants wants to become a player in this league deal deals after the third and fourth years like they’re so much about projecting what they can become based on what you’ve seen already but a lot of it is what’s to come how how big leaps do both these players need to take uh to sort of fulfill these sort of deals um you know I I think I think these guys have the talent too and I think they have the mindset to it all starts with preparation and how you work and how you um your mindset uh towards this game and um I think they have the right mindset uh they have the right skill and they ask the right questions I I think they they Embrace their teammates they Embrace coaching um they Embrace um I think the culture that you need and what you need uh to win in this league and they’re young it’s going to take time I’m not saying this is overnight I’m I’m saying that again it’s going to take take time but um we feel this commitment is the foundation of having these guys um really start to set that stone and feel that responsibility too there’s a sense of accountability here and um they have to feel that and I think um I think these two guys have have have that head on their shoulder that they they’ll they’ll do this how um M how satisfied are you about the overall stand where the team is right now and the possibility of playing in the playoffs and competing for the championship right now yeah I don’t know where we are in terms of in terms of that but uh in terms of growth uh I know I I think this team is um while we is going to see that I think um these players are young and um we want to see their growth as quick as possible but we know sometimes it’s going to take time we excited about said excited about the young players we’ve drafted excited about um the Young players from last year um and then great um Scotty and quickley are pretty young to themselves it takes time to win in this league but um you never know there are young teams winning now in this league you see great things OKC is doing you see the great things Orlando is doing or Cleveland I I think there are examples there and um hopefully we can can get get back on that pace too to the Toronto rapt sorry quick question about um Sasha z vanov um how much did you know about his situation before the um acquisition of him and is there a buyout situation for you know we still was was still going through that situation you know like um had conversations with Sasha his representations Bobby um coach and um I think that should develop in the next uh uh few days or we’ll see whether it’s few months we acquired a player and um in a trade and um we feel we’ve communicated well we communicated well with the agent and the team before and so we’ll see we’ll see how that goes do you anticipate most of the group that you have here all of it is going to be the team you take into the season uh hopefully yeah that’s that’s how we’re looking at it we’re excited about summer league we’re excited about um watching uh these guys uh play uh but in the NBA you never know what what uh what can come your way but um our goal is to give this young team a chance and and see how we continue to grow as a team you said last year was a shame to you and the organization uh other than you know I I assume you want to avoid a 25 win season but what specifically are are you hoping these players will help you avoid from last year does growth you know like show excitement show passion you know um a lot of the things that happened last year um by the grace of God are not going to happen again there’s going to be I think less less chaos you know um that that just time you know um in the NBA teams go through this and um we went through ours last year and hopefully um we can we can overcome that year and and and get back to uh winning ways you know and that’s that’s growth in all these guys and um hopefully shows up uh the win loss column with the Grady and Jobe both getting drafted there’s a lot of movement shooting there is that a change you guys have made because they were available in the draft or is this looking towards the league and trying to adapt to I guess more desirable skill sets let’s say yeah more desirable skill sets in shooting moving um playing with the ball in your hands a little bit which I think they will develop as they grow they’re uh both I think the youngest U players in their class when they came in um it must be 20 months ago um Grady was in high school I don’t know how long ago you know um jakobi was in high school now they are playing against grown men in in this league but uh then you think about I think Scotty and the way he plays and he’s going to need those players uh like that that uh can shoot at a touch um can escape dribble uh and can pass and have good basketball IQ and those two certainly do and play the game the right way so you’ve talked about like the foundation or reestablishing the foundation today with these two signings how how how good does it feel to have that certainty in a path now and and how long has it been since you felt that certainty you know on the second day of the draft is the first time I felt really good about um the last year and a half uh to be honest I it’s been it’s been a tough year and a half um and I don’t know maybe that’s partly my fault and partly things you know coming uh coming at us in in different ways but it just wasn’t us yeah that’s that’s not that’s not who we are that’s not what I wanted to be yeah that’s not what this team the fans this city um deserve in any in any way yeah we have to put a better product than that and I think we did that the last 10 the 10 years before that and um no matter how when you win and lo or lose in this league you need to um you need to show passion you need to show um I think energy you need to show um for us that um we’re attacking the game the right way yeah and um circumstances made us get away from that you know like a little bit and um as I said second day of the draft just that energy in the room energy we had with um a feeling with our coaches our our staff you know like some of our players that were around um that’s the first time I really felt you know like felt it back you know like um that happiness that you want um in how we want to build our team and where we want to go uh in this organization because it’s not who we are it wasn’t who we are and um I’m happy um that um hopefully we get back on track you guaranteed uh winning in there earlier yes I guaranteed again the first day I took the job here I guaranteed it and I’m guaranteeing it again we’ll win in Toronto again guarantee it that’s we’ll see we’ll see you look at the numbers on it like what what pops into your head it’s a large amount um that’s really what just think about um but you know I’m just ready to play basketball again you know it’s been a long time for me I haven’t played so long you know dealing with the injury ready to go out there play basketball again and try to win some games a lot of conversation about rebuilding and all that kind of stuff and what what is your timeline like when do you see this team being you know relevant ready to win ready to make noise in this conference I say re but you know I just want to win now um I feel like that’s my mindset each and every single day uh you know I want to win basketball games and rebuild this thing back to where it was try to get back to the top of East you know that’s that’s my mindset each and every single day I go out there go practice I’m sitting down thinking about things I’m I’m just trying to get back to winning basketball you know I feel like the city deserves it uh I feel like that’s the way that we’re going to be relevant and we got a lot of young guys that go out here win games and we all got that same mindset um that’s been my mindset since day one I’m a winner I like to compete so I just want to go out there and win games um I don’t like to lose and I just free build talk it’s whatever but you know I want to go out there and win games you know and I feel like as a competitor what I what we can do out there on the floor with this team U that we built we can do it we got everything we we got everything right here and we can doing as far as everything that’s G on with the team how they’ve built it your contract jacobe Brady quickly there’s a lot of movement shooting built around you is it a great Boe of confidence to see guys with skill sets that pair so well with yours uh yes um you know I I put a lot of force on the r um when I’m driving to the basket and um I like the pass so you know I make those easy passes and you know when the you got Shooters all around to make shots you know it just makes it so much easier uh every time I pass it to somebody you know I feel like it’s going in um so that’s great to be around um it’s great you know we all are a bunch of unselfish players that move the ball so and we all can shoot the ball really well so that’s going to be great what you think of the 31 pack I was I was super excited uh it’s my boy like I’ve been saying that’s my voice since third grade it’s my best friend um you know I’m I’m just super excited super proud for him I want to see his D be called I didn’t know where it was going to be called but you know they did it so I was just super excited to have him be around me uh I got some friends in the city but you know to be able to have my best friend in the city with with me it’s gonna be great to see it’s gonna be great what about his game do you think convinces you he can be an impactful NBA player uh first of all his length on the defensive end you know he moves his feet really well um so that can be really good um when you are long active defender in this league uh great things can happen for you you know you just got to keep developing you know he’s a high IQ player he passes the ball pretty well um and he’s very unselfish so when you’re very unselfish and you can you have those intangibles where you can block shots you can move your feet you can guard uh you know that’s that’s going to be great and then everything else just develops from there with some time did you mark the milestone signing this contract at all like take people out to dinner or buy something for yourself uh no I don’t know what I’m going to do with it uh to be honest um it’s a lot of money you know you just got to think it over um right now you know I’m just en enjoying the time that I’m having my family and enjoying this day how do you see yourself getting to an all NBA level next season um like I said everything starts with winning basketball games uh you win basketball games everything else sets itself in place uh you’re not going to it’s hard to do all that other stuff when if you’re not making the playoffs your AFC you’re doing things like that know that’s why I want to be in the top I want to be in the top of the league you know top of the East standards uh so you know we just got to work our way there starting now obviously when we get this type of deal you’re expected to be some sort of you know face of the franchise leader type uh you know you can only be yourself but what type what do you want to bring out in this team in terms of your leadership style um want everybody to be the themselves we got a bunch of like I said we got a young team we got a bunch of guys with great energy they own different personalities uh so bring that out and just translate to the game uh don’t be afraid to show that um and then just be willing to learn and be willing to work U willing to put sacrifice and put your bodies out there on the line each and every single night uh because in this league is hard to win um so we got to sacrifice you got to make sacrifices and once you make those IES you know it takes your game to the next level a lot of purple and red around here what do you think of the color purple and how it might impact the franchise going forward like jerseys Etc know we got some purple jerseys I I don’t know you you know something I don’t know I I don’t know we got some purple jerseys I don’t know purple’s a good color how important is it to have quickly locked in for a long time with you with this organization I love quick everything he brings to the table um shoots the ball at a high level so you know he extends the defense you know set great pick and rolls for him you know I can roll uh teams have to go over just just going to make it easy to be able to get those RADS going into the basket being able to see so many different things out there on the floor and just what he brings to the table when he goes out there on the floor his mindset what he’s willing to do out there on the floor and off the court as a teammate he’s just a great teammate as well always talking to the guys uh his voice is so going to be so important for us uh he already stepped into that leadership role when he came here he has a voice where he likes to talk to everybody tell us how he feels he’s not afraid to show that so you know having quick as a teammate is going to be great how does this moment feel this stage okay feels great ah man can just hoop now uh it’s great having my family here uh along with Scotty it’s been great to just get to know everybody here Toronto’s been a great City to be a part of and I’m just really excited to get something special going this new year so I’m excited we say that that second contract is a real milestone in the NBA and what’s it like to have one and have it look like it does it’s great um obviously everybody you know plays this game to win but obviously you want to take care of your family and and take care of other people and do things in your community as well so I’m looking forward to that part and and then also going back to winning I’m looking forward to winning as well doesn’t seem like you wear things very heavily but I mean obviously you’ve been talking about this contract you know since start of last July potentially is it nice to you said just hoop is it nice to now be able to just do your thing yeah I probably been talking about this contract since before that to be honest um just never being able to get a deal done and now finally have you know some sense of security that uh you know you can just go out and hoop which is my favorite to do uh is just work on my game and continue to perfect my craft so I’m excited about that part do do you guys do you have a timeline for when this team can be relevant can be a team that in the East people have to consider uh right now why do you say that uh just the mentality that we have uh to come in every day and get better obviously uh you know I feel like I know what it takes to win as far as you know at least getting to the playoffs I know what the playoffs feel like I know what you know winning feels like so just understanding what you have to do on a day-to-day basis not saying it’s going to be easy but just understanding that if you put your mind to you know to anything and you’re willing to work for you can achieve it you’ve been part of teams before and and role player um big player but now you’re part of a foundation like you and Scotty are the foundation of this team what’s that is that pressure is that no excitement um when I’m done playing with my career I want to say that uh I tried to meet every challenge head on uh I didn’t shy away from anything you only get to play in the NBA one time in your career so uh pressure is an opportunity for you to rise and I’m looking forward to that opportunity the uh you know you had a chance to work with Scotty last year but now a little bit different phase you both been kind of you know given this responsibility and maybe what have you come to know about him that makes you think that he’s a guy you want to kind of share this responsibility with I think everybody knows pretty much almost everything about Scotty now uh but just the competitor he is you know everybody sees like the funny videos and stuff but he’s the ultimate competitor he wants to win uh uh he doesn’t like losing and and I feel like I’m the same way so just having guys like that on this team that are that have that mindset I think you know that gives us a chance to do something talked about hoping to get you towards like 10 11 three-point attempts per game obviously you and your team have your idea about how you want to progress but in these conversations about what the future is what has the team mide Darko Express they want to see from you going forward uh just to be ultimately aggressive you know um having that mindset to come out and dominate time that I step on the floor uh and I feel like that’s something that you know that has made me uh you know who I am today as far as just having that chip on my shoulder coming in every single day getting better and then Translating that to on the floor and I feel like that I’m going do I’m going do that to a a great degree of the Season that you know some people haven’t seen those is there any conversation about what that might look like do you guys discuss from the team level like we’re going to involve you in more actions like this we’re going to put you in these types of situations going forward um I think a little bit everything I feel like my game is versatile I feel like this team compliments me and I feel like I compliment the team in any way uh being versatile you know gives you the ability to be able to play on the ball off the ball play out play through Cuts play through you know playing you know playing off with Scotty playing with the ball playing pick and roll with Scotty so uh just being able to be versatile being able to do different things and then also going on the other side and guarding you know being not just being an offensive player but playing both sides of the ball U gives us a chance to like I said do something special why was it important to I guess Max out the term of the contract in terms of length I’m sure money was nice but but why did you want to be here for 5 years u c Toronto is great the people are great organization is Second To None Like I said the mindset the Messiah has the mindset that Darko has has really pushed me and I’m somebody that you know enjoys getting better I enjoy uh just sharpening my craft and um you know fine tune and everything so uh who I want to be as a person who I want to be as a player is you know they they are second and n and help me do that thanks for watching the Toronto Raptor YouTube channel check out our latest videos and subscribe for more Trent answers back Gary s side step break got it

Masai Ujiri and players address the media following contract extension of Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley.

00:00 Masai Ujiri
09:49 Scottie Barnes
16:20 Immanuel Quickley

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