The current Toronto Raptors look little or nothing like that 2019 champion team. Kawhi Leonard, Serge Ibaka, Marc Gasol and this past summer their latest flagship: Kyle Lowry.
Faced with this situation, his general manager Masai Ujiri has recognized that the Raptors are not qualified to “win now”, but that he expects a lot from his young values, such as Siakam, VanVleet, Anunoby or the one who was number 4 of the 2021 Draft Scottie Barnes.
“We are not a current team,” Ujiri acknowledged to NBA.com. “There will be pain in all this growth. But trust me, you know all of this will be difficult sometimes, but we know what’s coming. We are very excited about all of our young talent. They are excited to see how OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet evolve as leaders of our team, as elite players ”, he added.
The Raptors missed the playoffs last year, ranking 12th in the East with a 27-45 record. For the coming course they are going to have it very complicated; however, they are at the expense of whether or not they will return to play in their pavilion after passing through Tampa (Florida).
And then there are the young Scottie Barnes, Malachi Flynn or Dalano Banton. In sports, people only think about now, you know? But this is where we have to be patient and let them grow, “he acknowledged.
Ujiri, who was in his final year of his contract, has reached an agreement to continue leading the Raptors project. A decision that, in his own words, was easy to make, since he is comfortable in Canada.
“Toronto has become a home for me and my family. There is something really special about this place. It gives me a good opportunity to represent, to speak and it is a unique space ”, he concluded.
(Cover photo: Tom Szczerbowski / Getty Images)