Toronto Raptors Media Availability | Postgame vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | January 1, 2024

Toronto Raptors Media Availability | Postgame vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | January 1, 2024

Whirlwind day how did you uh how do you feel you came through it all man pass past two days been past two three days been crazy um but no it’s today was a lot of fun man getting a you know getting a win um and just the way we

Started the game lots of energy uh carried us out you know throughout the game they made a push they made a run and and we able to to to stay strong and get the dub so that was that was very important what was going through your mind when you got introduced in the

Ovation people standing and cheering how how did that make you feel and what did that do man meant a lot you know meant a lot uh I said I’m the I’m the hometown kid and just coming in and and like I said trying to trying to get win for the

Fans um trying to win for the country so yeah it felt great what do it feel like at the line so late in the game kind of the game on the line there we kind of thinking like first game or you just ignore all that like nah I was I was

Focused I was locked in you know trying like I said coming here to try to help win it you know so anything anything I can do you mean you got a couple opportunities in the second quarter grabb and goes and transition that’s been part of your game obviously forever

But um did that something Darko encouraged you talked about really wanting to yeah absolutely you know when I get in transition go you know playing my game um definitely encourage was encouraging me there talk about how crazy these last couple days have been but I I was looking at your schedule in

New York you guys spent most of the month in December on the road you guys are heading out spending most of the next month on the road not to remind you but is that just life in the NBA or does this feel like a bit of a excessive stretch yeah man

I I thought I didn’t have to do that again but you know those are those are tough man those are they’re not easy at all but you know if if if you fight you stay together with the team you know and as we’re figuring things out this would

Be a good test for us you know so I’m excited to to to see you know how we do on this trip positive it kind of get forces you guys to get to know the other guys for a while yeah absolutely spend more time together you know on the road

And stuff uh and and yeah I mean we had a good win tonight at home but you know let’s see what we look like on the road seems like you and uh Scotty had a fun compartive drive for the years you want to know where that stems from and um you

Guys talked about that man he’s I mean he’s a competitive guy you know so am I um I’ve always enjoyed you know playing against Scotty is uh so playing with him and you know playing with him tonight man it was it was cool I don’t think I don’t think anybody stepped on anybody’s

Toes um you know we got a lot of people had a good game tonight so that’s what was going to that’s what we’re going to need did you guys cross paths at all in high school or anything yeah we put play against each other we never played we never played together

Though bit of an off topic question but Tristan being back in the league what have you seen from in this year you know obviously wasn’t playing in the regular season join the Lakers the playoffs and now playing some real minutes for Cav what you see Double T my big brother um

I mean he’s back in the league and you know he’s playing and look I mean they’re they’re 18 and 18 18 and 15 so you know you he’s playing uh good minutes on a on a good team and uh you know he’s always been able to be a high

Energy guy getting a lot of rebounds every time every time he’s out there you got to send two three people at him to keep him off the boards um so you know I’m happy for him and and to see him playing well what did he mean to you

Growing up kind of seeing him and Cory the route they took what did they mean to you yeah him and Cory were like you know those were the first guys those are the guys that you know growing up him and and and wig too just they made you know my generation believe you

Know that we could we can make it to the league we grew up we’re like man we’re going to be there just like them you know so uh he’s been Double T has been that guy for a while obviously uh two different teams but do you think there

Will be any benefits to being in Canada leading up to Paris now yeah that would be that’ be cool you know spend some extra time at home it’s not bad at all you know you’ve had a long career internationally in the NBA so you know regular season game is not

Going to be at the very top of the list but where does this rank for you in terms of you know such a successful UPC coming game yeah this was this was special man this this was special way better than any other time I’ve ever

Played here so uh yeah no this this was a special one and I’m always appreciate this night Canada had to get that one over with and all the emotion of the last 48 hours yeah crazy man crazy uh glad I got the win so that’s the most important part um the guys on the team coaching staff made it unbelievably easy for me uh to come

Out here and play today so uh had a lot of fun how was it to get out there and play at very fast pace with a bunch of guys youve never played with before is it hard harder to do it when you’re playing quick and trying to read guys on

The F uh yeah it’s almost like playing pickup a little bit uh but like I say all the time playing with great players is is it just makes your job a lot easier so uh credit to the guys on this team uh they made it really easy for me

Was there a single kind of message that the coaching staff kind of tried to communicate to you before they went into the game but you know worst case just do this yeah just and it was just be myself uh they they wanted me here for a reason

And uh I appreciate them for giv me this opportunity uh take full advantage of it uh dayto day continue to get better continue to keep working um but that was what they told me just be myself and uh you know that was pretty much it you

Guys are about to go out on the road for a while not ideal especially for you and RJ coming from a team that spent most of December on the road but is there almost a benefit for a new team getting to know each other to to spend some time kind of

Forced to get to know each other yeah uh a lot of time on the plane a lot of time you know dinner and things like that on the road so uh just trying to get to know these guys uh off the court as well as on the court knowing where they want

The ball knowing all that type of stuff uh I think the road benefits a lot from that so it’ll be good outside of our days anybody on this team you have any history with would run into in high school or uh play with Gary Trent USA 17

USA 17 under uh Chris R was in my my agency last year um soou I played played against Scotty a couple times in a and things like that so A good friend of AR what was it like to see him get that Ovation and coming home and then the

Clutch free throws as well it was cool I know he was really excited I know was probably a lot of emotion for him as well he probably had uh chills uh playing today so it it was good that he got to go out here and play in front I’m

Sure a lot of his friends a lot of his uh close friends and family so uh that’s my guy so I’m just happy for him that he got to do that to the CR was giving you a lot of love tonight as well um you wouldn’t know but this was the loudest

It’s been all year um what was the the in Arena feeling for um it was a lot of love man uh Toronto fans they’re already special I feel like so uh just the way they they’ve embraced us obviously RJ being from here but me not being from here the

Way they embraced me uh appreciate them for that and uh the only way you can repay them is to work hard every day and get wins man you mentioned sort of developing chemistry with your teammates I’m wondering and going on the road not necessarily having a lot of time to

Practice how do you work through the kings of developing chemistry especially in like pick and roll situations you being theall yeah uh the only way you can work through it is really reps is is really experiencing it uh me and uh me and yakob uh were on the bench talking

He was like what do you like what do you like and I’m like what do you like so uh just being able to experience it being able to talk through it and see and just knowing where everybody wants the ball is is something we we going have to

Continue to figure out it seemed like uh you were talking a lot to guys clapping um I saw a couple guys follow you ran over every time you pick them up uh how important is that you know sort of in between plays moments of being a good

Team uh I think that’s just part of who I am how I was raised uh is is being a great teammate being being a uh a leader any way you can and uh you know that’s what that’s what te that’s what having a team is about you know when your brother

Falls picking them up uh when they need encouragement encouraging them so uh that’s something that I try to do you’ve been playing behind pretty good point guard in New York come here and starting lineup tonight we don’t know what the future holds but like what does that

Mean to you to have Darko first game throw you out there in the starting lineup uh was great just uh the trust that he has in me uh and I feel like I’ve worked for it uh as far as you know myself uh put a lot of work into the

Summer uh and want to continue to keep getting better uh watch a film learn from tonight and and try to get better for the next game might have felt a little bit weird but it didn’t seem to affect your game at all and and just a pretty good transition considering the

Amount of changes You’ have had in the past couple of days um yeah I mean like I said part of the job um come in um they got to be ready obviously like for us like all these games are important we got to find ways to get wins um so yeah

I mean I think again like those guys you know they understand to play they’ve been in good situations in teams that played meaningful basketball so they they know you know what it means and um you know they they came in they did they

Did well so um I think for for me and I think the rest of the team is just continue to stay focused and and obviously like final way to to get wins did you do anything to in your game to accommodate them or was it more just finding um I think again understanding

What they do best you know like obviously um quickly was was um Emmanuel um was in Far trouble out there but I think you know just understanding you know his speed and um trying to find ways to get him downhill um obviously shooting a ility um and and and a you

Know in transition you know like he he’s out there with the best of him you know be able to give him space um and I think also the more he plays with us the more he understand you know the reads that he can make also um from drawing the

Defense and all those different things so I think yeah there there’s some adjustment to be made but again you know we basketball players at the end of the day you feel like there was a bit of a different energy at thir tonight u i

Mean I think I don’t know I think for us it was just like again this games are important we got to win we got to find where to win after that game in Detroit um you know we definitely have to boun bounce back and and and I think everyone

Understood that and um and I think moving forward you know that’s the type of focus and energy we need to have is there almost a benefit in a situation like this one that you just referenc like needing to get these wins but then also just like getting to know new guys

To go out on the road and have a trip at this point of the Season uh I don’t know I think I think it’s we’ll see it’s important obviously um we know that on the road is is probably the best time to get to know each other um um you know

Get to hang out you know I think we have Team dinners and things like that that’s going to happen so I think the more you know we get familiar with each other um and and being in tough environments on the road um it brings it brings people

Together for sure we’ve spent a lot of time over the past couple years talking about Joy probably more than we needed to did this feel like a really joyous night I mean we got to win so I guess is your sh feel any different at all like

When it’s really when it’s really going in versus it’s not all the same same form it is um it’s basketball at the end of the day for me like that’s always been that um I trust the work that I put in and I really don’t think about it and

And and um obviously I know my strength and and and I try to do that to the highest my ability and then and then again continue to work on on on on things that I work on and again sometimes it’s going to go in sometimes

It’s not and and I’m okay with that yeah but I mean particularly three-point shooting and we were talking about a fair bit uh when you’re struggling in the last three weeks or so it’s quite good um did you make an adjustment did you kind of I don’t look at that you

Guys look at that I don’t look at it like I just play I hope like that’s what I do um and that’s part of hooping you know you make shot Miss shots like um so to me like um I don’t overthink things um I just go out there play the game and

What makes me feel that way is because I know what I put into to what I do so um n I’m always confident in that and and again it’s going to be games I’m not going to make shots there going be games that I’m going to make shots and and I’m

Hoping that I make more shots so hey it is what it is the uh you play a bunch of minutes on the back to back other night play 40 tonight um are you kind of comfortable with this like this is uh uh um I think I mean again

Obviously for me I’ve been in situation so um I understand what it is and and and I know that you know there was a lot of emphasis on you know minutes and all that you know but at the end of day we got to do the best that we can to win

Games like that’s that’s the focus and um I’ve always been an advocate of you know giving everything I have to win a game so um if it’s 30 minutes or it’s 40 like I’ve always been comfortable with that but also like I’m definitely mindful on my body and and be able to

Take care of my body and um and and those are the things that I’ve talk with my team and the people that you know I work with just make sure that I still on point that’s important for me too so I obviously we got to have a balance for

Sure is there one that you prefer with 30 or 40 for your own mindset like if you had to pick like in a perfect world what would you pick for you uh in the prer I want to be healthy and play and play games at a high level that’s my

Perfer word I don’t know what what minutes it is yeah I don’t know some guys thrive on playing more some guys thrive on getting longer breaks I don’t know whether um I don’t know I don’t know I think I couldn’t tell you to be honest like I I just want to be out

There like selfishly like in as me as just a Hooper I just want to be on the floor all the time but that’s that don’t happen so um and I yeah I just right so so we’ll see at the end of the day like I wouldn’t I wouldn’t say like you know

Like I like one thing more than the other but again I think my main focus is to do everything I can to win games um and and that comes with sometimes a lot of minutes or sometimes less I mean I guess you haven’t been as minutes have

Piled up you it generally has an effect of your play seem to be able to manage a pretty good loan some guys do it does like they kind of get they do they start sagging they lose their like whatever might be but I mean I guess that’s just your regime

Treatment I guess you know God right thank you comp person no B what did you like about the way Pace the guys played with espe that new first start 41 points yeah first uh first quarter was uh really good uh scoring for us I I thought that game tonight was

Was a really fun game uh fun for for fans for everybody participating in in the game both teams they had uh stretches of playing really good offensively um that first unit there uh the pace was good the ball movement was good I thought as the game was

Progressing we had moments when the ball became a little bit uh stagnant uh I’m not fan of our 25 assists in a game uh and having 16 in the first half I think we got to do better job in in that department of just moving the ball and

Then and finding each other finding teammates but uh um I like the pace and uh it was it was well fought fought game for us today mentioned you know talking before the game of the benefit of quickly shooting and there’s a few moments in the first quarter first half where you

Could see that yak got him for screens up top and you know I think he found Yak on a on a pick and roll for a dck and just seems to create a little more room yeah I I I think he was uh pretty timid tonight you know uh it’s a new team

Obviously emotions are running and he really tried to run the team and set up teammates and you know to just just to find um he he will have to find a good balance between it staying aggressive and scoring but at the same time making right decisions you know there there

Were two pick and rolls that he run with Scotty Scotty was wide open on the rooll he he needs to complete those passes and that that’s going to be great teaching opportunity for us in you know in video and uh in workouts to to find a chemistry between the two you mentioned

Before the game that the rotation is going to be a work in progress for a little while you you seven guys primarily with uh Chris’s 11 minutes as the eighth guy do you have a a Target in terms of like how many guys you want to

Be using or is it sort of going to be a game to game it’s going to be game to game uh we’re going to try really to to uh develop the chemistry and between the players uh you know and uh uh really try to to get uh to see what lineups work

Best who’s complimenting who we’re learning a lot about this group right now I do not have my Set uh mind on is it going to be eight nine or 10 and I want guys to be ready and I think it’s going to be from now night tonight and I

Think uh you know we played nine guys tonight Ted came in there and he’s going to help they’re going to have more moments where guys going to come in and play for like for five minutes and they might be playing Off the Bench playing 20 plus minutes that looked like a happy

Night you a lot of high fives a lot of encouragement I saw a couple times guys fell and all four guys rushed over and picked them up did it really feel like um everyone was together on the same page you know that fresh energy that you

Mentioned before um I think uh we played good basketball I think that guys uh were enjoying uh playing good brand of basketball and just like cheering for each other I think uh you could see the emotions uh I don’t know because maybe New Year’s uh

After new New Year’s it was like a lot of crowd to start the game uh we really like the the Applause for for our RJ Barrett Kennedy and coming back I see that Canadians are really excited about it so uh all of that together brought a

Lot of energy and juice to to to the uh scoa bank and it was it was fun night and similarly was that the loudest you’ve heard Scotia Bank no I coming here with my teams in the past and uh those those Arenas were rocking back so

So we want to get to that yeah follow up is that the loudest you’ve heard it since head coach since becoming the head I believe so yes we’re not probably get a chance to talk to you tomorrow but speaking of your former teams you’re going back to SE on Wednesday what what

Are your thoughts on that and what did you learn about yourself in your time of M uh well I was really blessed with the opportunity to to coach in Memphis uh I have a ton of respect for Zack lman their GM and head coach Taylor Jenkins

Uh we spent three years me and my family over there and I learned a ton I learned a ton from from uh Taylor and from whole organization it’s very young organization and um I was really blessed with the opportunity to coach some of the young and up up and coming stars in

This league and you know to to you know in a small percentage to influence their their careers but uh it was great time over there got a low low respect for them now you have a chance to coach a relatively young team here you can take lessons you learn with that group in

Memphis and apply it to that kind of I’m trying I’m trying I’m uh I mean for me basketball never stops I’m always learning I’m learning this group I’m learning uh every single day what we can do better I’m and I’m open like I am I’m

Not like uh stuck in my ways U I want to listen to my coaches to my players to get their input this is not about me this is about all of of us together you know preparing the team to be the best uh best possible team on the court you

Guys leaned on Yak some more tonight um is part of that like the addition of quickly and RJ sort of do you see that helping his game um obviously after one game you know all things that we’re talking about like in theory and like hypothetical we’ll we’ll have to see I think that

Those guys are good players and I think they’re going to unlock some of the things of of yak’s game there as well but uh you know I’m I’m going to be very open how I’m going to be using Yak as well some nights he might play three

Stins and play some with the second unit some nights he’s going to play longer SS there you know we’re just gonna I’m going to try to to read the game the best possible way and just uh to find the best matchups and the best best combinations on offensive end as well

You guys ran a lot of uh three guard lineups tonight with schroer Gary and and IQ I’m just wondering like the versatility of being able to throw throw out a lineup with that much ball handling how does that help you guys especially with the second unit I mean

In this league you cannot have enough of shooting and ball handling and and skill like uh the way league is is changing is it’s more and more skill like so uh it’s definitely a huge plus and uh having those guys out there playing together I think it’s it’s good for us uh Emmanuel

Had uh four fouls that he picked up early so we had to if were also discussing should we start the second half with him or not but he needs to learn how to play in those situations so we decided to give him couple of minutes

There and then then got him out so he can play you know more freely later in the game RJ had some nice moments in transition that’s kind of the strength of his was that something you talked about with him just kind of getting him grabb and go opportunities absolutely I

Mean uh you know our style of play and we want to be you know in transition and to score a lot I think he can do a really good job with that I thought that he had a couple of really good decisions I told him as well that that offensive H

That he picked up uh that was a great opportunity for him to do Euro Step he’s using his spin move really well so I think you know he needs to to unlock that and then then you just like he he came to me and like coach what can I do

Better just have fun out there have play basketball be yourself and we’ll be fine in terms of Grady you guys haven’t used him here in a while um how are you weighing sort of the decisions to keep come up here send him to 905 to get some

More ride how are you thinking through that process uh well Grady uh last two weeks he’s on on a spe special program like uh uh uh with his weights with uh conditioning with basketball court he’s been doing a lot of work he’s been spending a lot of time on the court we

Decided that this is a good moment for him to really focus on his body and uh to to we made a really good plan for him uh when he goes on next assignment with 905 it’s going to be opportunity for him that everything that he worked on last

Two weeks kind of like to put it in a in a game setup and and play I think that’s that’s very healthy for him and know definitely he’s going to be back with us and he’s going to be in rotation and playing he’s the future of this

Organization but he needs to to check couple of points before we we we really unleash him on the court

Players and Coach speak with the media following the Raptors’ 124-121 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.

0:00 R.J. Barrett
5:10 Immanuel Quickley
9:27 Pascal Siakam
17:47 Darko Rajakovic

#Raptors #TorontoRaptors