Toronto Raptors Media Availability | January 29, 2024

Toronto Raptors Media Availability | January 29, 2024

All right coach now that you’ve been able to probably just sit and digest last night’s game a little bit more what are you seeing especially from like the young Corp that U is your biggest takeaway that you feel like they maybe even learned from last night uh a lot of

For us to learn from last night uh I’m not into moral victories uh we’re playing this game to win games uh I thought last night that we did uh enough to win the game and we put ourselves in a position to win the game uh and on the

Last position we just didn’t do uh enough of boxing out to to rebound and secure that that last possession and uh that was something that uh that was going on uh over the course of whole game uh big emphasis on uh on today was watching the film and US boxing out and

Going through drills today in practice of boxing out probably we’re the only one team in NBA working on on physically on working on boxing out in a game like situations and uh that’s something that that we got to get better at uh doesn’t does a matter of personnel that we have

On on on the court or there because that’s really hurting us um and lot a lot of positive stuff as well uh ball M and creating shots and then playing together was good uh we scored uh enough to win we just uh need to find a way to

Protect the paint better and then finish possessions young Jordan last night seemed to be very calm for a young kid giv a first shot what did you think of the way he played overall uh I think that uh he played a good game uh previous game when I when I threw him

Out there he was a little bit you know surprised uh that did not come as a surprise last night and I told him that he’s going to get a opportunity to go out there and that I expect him to step up especially in defensive role um he’s a talented offensive player uh defense

Uh is something that in the past he did not good a good enough job and I’m really challenging him on that part that I want him to become solid defensive player because there there is not one thing that can prevent him from being de uh he’s uh big he’s athletic uh he he’s

Very mo mobile he he’s uh capable to move laterally it’s just like uh his focus and attention and effort has got to be on much higher level offensively I thought that he he brought us extra punch there he was able to score uh he was able to to create some uh assists as

Well and then he was active on a glass as well you look at guys like him and jante for where this franchise is where this team is this is a huge opportunity for young players to earn all kinds of time did you present that to them and

Say hey this is your chance don’t mess it up or or this is your chance take take it like how do you it is opportunity for them uh uh for sure uh it’s opportunity for the organization as well to see what those guys can bring

And uh what we have in those guys that’s why they’re getting all of those opportunities and uh learning experience is and uh really pushing that the envelope with them with with their development you know uh they’re jumping on all different kinds of programs on the court of the Court nutrition

Training everything that we can do to help Jordan and to help help jante in this case uh to get up to speed with the NBA speed and physicality you mentioned Jordan’s defense in the past being something he needs to work on now can that be how is that done other than game

Reps and video like is the is there much other individual work that can be done about that on the court for sure um as you can see uh uh Grady made improvements and strides on defensive end comparing to the uh to the start of the season and that’s thanks to uh

Individual work on the court but also with our player performance and strength conditioning uh addressing his body in the way room as well and mobility and that kind of stuff but he’s been doing a lot of like defensive drills uh how to to guard the ball chest up uh not

Picking up fouls and you can see there is like Phil Phil can just get you you know this much better you know awareness and whatnot but you got to get physical reps you know and uh we got to find a time even in the season you know with

Old uh traveling and and playing and all of that we got to find a time to to improve in that area there as well and that’s what’s ahead of Jordan’s player develop plan how about how important is it for you guys to to win some games I I

Know we always talk about development but you know you lost eight of nine they got to see tangible results did you Hammer that team how is that that that was my first statement with a team like uh we’re playing hard and uh we we’re putting ourselves in in the position to

Win uh games we just got to find a way to close some of those games and and uh how to make extra free throw how to make extra box out how to make extra play and not not turn the ball over all of this is is great uh learning experience but

Uh uh with wins it’s going to come much more like this is the this is the path this is the way to do it and and seeing it like uh you know I always say like when you uh win a game by one point oh we are resilient and we’re great and you

Always look at all the positive stuff and you lose by one everything is dark and cloudy and the truth is always somewhere in between and uh we need to come to the position like that to win some of those games and G gain extra confidence now that there a a

Significant sample size what are you seeing from Bruce Brown uh Bruce Brown is allaround player uh he he just knows uh knows the game knows the league uh he’s very good cutter uh he’s uh capable to recognize situations on the floor and play off of his teammates he’s not

Necessarily demanding the ball but he’s very capable to to to create when he has the ball and there is just a lot of Kno how with him on on defensive end uh you know he knows Personnel of the league he knows was uh how to guard guys how to

Position himself um I think he’s he’s a two-way player how much uh yakon there doing the playing or the play group is he any closer or sort of status quo uh he’s he’s getting closer uh we at the point now to really uh work on on his conditioning and and getting him ready

To to get back in in the game and not miss a beat when he comes back let’s just start with last night what was your biggest takeaway oh man um it was just kind of a next man up mentality we knew RJ and quick and uh people were going to

Be out and it’s a next man up mentality guys that haven’t been playing got the opportunity and for us just go out there and fight just because the record doesn’t look the greatest doesn’t mean we can just fold over we have a lot of games left and there’s a lot of progress

To be made both individually and collectively so for myself and I think the rest of the team I can speak for was just going out there and playing hard sticking to the game plan and giving us a giving ourselves a chance to win which is what we did obviously the outcome

Wasn’t what we wanted but um a lot of good takeaways um I know that that coach he came in here and he was just talking about there’s no moral victories like of course you still just want to win going into Chicago you know what is what is

The takeaway that you feel like you could translate from that game and then apply to tomorrow’s game yeah we have a little bit of a losing streak going on um I know Chicago is included in that we played them about a week and a half ago

So we’re going to watch a lot of film on them I know I will with how to guard vvi and Drummond and all that but um yeah taking away from last game just uh the way we played with effort wise I think was there um there were some technicals

On defense we didn’t have we just went over and filmed but um yeah I mean in the midst of losing you can still learn a lot which is I think what we’re doing pretty good job on and uh Chicago came into our house and got a win so now it’s

Time for us to return the favor hopefully we’ll see um obviously points in the paint has been also an issue over the past stretch of course Yak being out kind of suffers there a little bit um how can you guys adjust or like you know I guess compensate at this point for um

For that yeah I think the effort like I’ve mentioned a few times in this interview the effort’s there from all of us I think um and even if the size isn’t necessarily there with our seven-footer and Yak I think a lot of it just has to

Do with the mental mentality of like the rotations and where to box out who to hit cuz a lot of us are playing in positions we aren’t necessarily used to um or not being able to rely on yakob like they’ve been used to so um we’re all learning we’re all growing it’ll

Take more and more games hopefully not as many losses but um with yach coming back again that’s not any reason to let up I guess all of us are learning how to better surround the bigs myself included in rebounding it’s a gang effort is what coaches always talking about and it

Really is cuz you can have a you can have a wimy out there and they’re still giving up offensive boards it’s not necessarily who’s the biggest guy on the floor it’s uh how can you position yourself to be in a position to get a rebound so uh that’s something they’ve

Harped on a lot in film and a lot of it falls on me I know a lot of it falls on our other guys but we’re getting better uh that’s always the goal trajectory and then just in terms of especially because you’ve been on this like stretch with

The with with the Raptors and not like in the 905 but what stands out to you with these Collective guys that you’re currently playing with um I know uh Jordan talked about last night just how you guys are in the gym a lot you know first one’s in last one’s out type of

Thing what stands out to you about these guys I think um just the collective mentality as a team um I’ve never really been on a losing team necessarily and I know The Season’s semi Young kind of halfway through and there’s still a lot of time to turn it around but I imagine

To be a whole lot more miserable than it is right now the positivity is high the morality is High guys are still in the gym early doing their routine things they stuck to we’re not just like going our separate ways I guess as a locker room and I think that’s most important

Um because it kind of establishes the culture I’m not too familiar with the Raptor’s culture CU I haven’t been a part of it but from everything I’m hearing it’s just the grit the toughness and all that and every single guy in this locker room has kind of represented

That despite the losing and I think if we stick to that um it’ll eventually turn around so that’s the hope that’s the goal and it’s really been fun to be a part of thanks for watching the Toronto rappers YouTube channel check out our latest video And subscribe for [Applause] more

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

0:00 Darko Rajakovic
6:25 Jontay Porter

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