Toronto Raptors Media Availability | Postgame at Denver Nuggets | March 11, 2024

Toronto Raptors Media Availability | Postgame at Denver Nuggets | March 11, 2024

You said before the game you’re going to turn fall in RJ’s hands and certainly for most of that game like his ability to make some decisions with that were pretty good and you know didn’t get a win but a lot of really good performances across your your lineup yes

I agree I I thought that first half we were really able to execute our offensive and defensive game plan to the point uh we were really engaged and communication was great um our J did really good job of um you know nine assists uh making the plays there uh

Four turnovers they come as as a byproduct of of being more engaged there but also it’s it’s a great learning opportunity you know I think uh when we watch this film and I watch film with him together just to recognize where there are those opportunities more to me

To make better decisions but overall I thought that that he did really good job and as well as his whole whole team competing uh competing throughout the whole game coach when you look at the early body of work what does it say about your group and the way that they

Were able to get organized early considering the lineups considering who was missing who not there changes last minute it’s not easy uh on the guys uh obviously um lot of different lineups lot lot of different groups over there we’re really trying to keep it as simple as possible while at the same time

Trying to develop guys and put them in situations they need to be in and uh for them to grow um I thought that Grady had a really really good game tonight uh a lot of things that he’s working on um all ball screens how to set up his man

How to play off of that he’s really starting to master those those situations and I’m really actually proud of his uh seven assists tonight as well um so for a young player to get 36 minutes and to start in NBA game against the NBA champion that’s a huge win for

Us tonight I mean I know you can’t really like simplify it to just simply playing simple but it did look like there was the joy that you always tell your guys you want them to play with quite early did you like the level of Engagement from the guys on the floor

But also then on the bench too yes I I thought that we were really good uh on the on the floor and guys on the bench uh every single time out we had it there was really good communication Scotty was really engaged uh quickly was really

Engaged uh all the guys were together in it helping each other and at the same time they’re sending all the same message uh talking about how we need to play what are the reads on offense how we can uh get get better organized and you know constantly looking to to push

The ball in transition and what those spots on the floor need to look like where we need to be so uh I thought that we did for majority of the game really good job there um but the NBA game is uh you’re up 20 you’re down 20 game is

Never over so um you know we got to know that when they come off the that Hal time they’re going to be more aggressive and how to handle that those moments there is learning opportunity there for us what did you see from um jante I thought that first of

All uh I give him credit he guarded yic I thought that his uh hands were really active he was able to get a couple of deflections to to make yic turn the ball over a couple of times in the first uh half uh and offensively is uh he was

Able to to to open up the floor for us with his three-point shooting but ALS Al with the the decision making he’s also looking for the right balance between like you know he can get a shot right away if they’re late on a close out but he’s looking to for the good balance

Between being aggressive and shooting the ball and also connecting with his teammates is there anything from uh Grady I know you just kind of mentioned what you saw from him today but Grady um or even oai that maybe surprised you a little bit or maybe it’s just another

Layer of their game that they were able to have the up to reveal tonight um I think that both of those guys uh they did really good job with aggressiveness with active hands um I think Grady had three or four deflections in that first quarter orai uh hands up a lot of times

Gotting the best player on the opposing team I thought that he tonight he really showed that that he was into it and engaged I thought that he he made it pretty hard on on his matchup uh but also he did really good job with the rebounding and he a block shot at The

Rim he just needs to continue being being really aggressive on defensive end I I think that’s most important thing for him Coach having worked with a bunch of guys across the NBA when you look at joic and Jamal is there something tangible that you notice about players

Like that that don’t shrink in those moments that require them to kind of make big shots or make Big Blocks is there something tangible that you can identify um they were young back in the day and they they they uh went through some losses and and uh they went through

Some hard times as well the only way you really grow is through you know through having uh some failures as well you know those are really good learning experiences and then when you get wins and you see what’s really working and you can always build that confidence you

Know so I think both uh both uh guys Jamal and and yic they had that early in their career that they had some success they had some failures they had some more success after that I think it’s uh it’s part of the journey you know and the most important thing is for those

Guys they never waver and their confidence is always through the roof and just keep going forward go to the next game go to the next opportunity and continue to grow primary decision maker a lot of possessions and looked like you did okay but what were your takeaways from that experience at altitude against

The defending world champions um I think it was you know obviously a great first half for us um everybody everybody was into it and then you know we knew in the second half they were going to be more more aggressive and I think they just you know they showed their their

Championship U pedigree there um with with the way they responded and you yourself in terms of like the nine assists and being able to you know kind of run the offense at times and have it in your hands at Key moments I didn’t even know I had nine assists I was just

Trying to play basketball you know um I was just out there I was trying to make the right plays as much as I as much as I could you uh tied a career high with nine assists but uh Grady actually set his career high with uh seven assists

What did you like from what you saw from him tonight Grady was really aggressive today I mean you know um 17 points what is he seven 7 for 12 you know played played a really good game um he was you know he was active on the defensive end

As well so he’s really been coming to his own um as The Season’s gone along there’s a couple times on the bench that you kind of walked up to Jaylen and was kind of like saying like this is what I need from you um what is that that you

Try to encourage him to do or show up that on the floor yeah I mean JM really start he’s he sparked that run you know he sparked that run for us I think it was in the second quarter and uh really got us out to that to that lead with

Just how he was playing on on both ends um so you know that was that was big time with him and and great to see him you know out there showing uh what he can do how are you guys able to just collectively fight and contribute

Especially so hard in the first half you know going under man we just play hard you know we we play hard we fight um every possession took the defending champs you know right right to the end um I mean obviously you know they have some some great players

Over there they you know they played a really good game but um you know we gave them one hell of a fight what makes Jamal so tough to contain in those tight spaces down in the fourth quarter like that I mean you know he can shoot and he’s really he’s really

Crafty yeah he’s really crafty when when he gets the ball and um I think he plays off of yish really well um you know those two guys have been playing together for a really long time now so yeah and then just in terms of playing

Off of uh Kelly lenck he also had a really great game tonight what did you see from him and like what would you like to see like when there’s when the guys are back a bit more healthy in the future what would you like to see

Continued M no just doing what he does you know uh making plays he was scoring the ball he scored the ball obviously very well today um but just he’s a very smart very smart player um like I say high IQ so we definitely need that on this team thanks for watching the

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Darko Rajakovic and RJ Barrett speak with the media following the Raptors’ 125-119 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday.

0:00 Darko Rajakovic
5:43 RJ Barrett

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