“ Reconstruction is the right word. » And it's one of the first that comes to Masai Ujiri's mind when describing the Raptors' upcoming season. It's hard to see anything else in a team that lost 19 of its last 21 games last season. And who was only able to make a few adjustments to his squad this summer.
“ We have a clear path forward. We charted a path during the last Draft where we obtained two young players (editor’s note: Ja’Kobe Walter and Jonathan Mogbo). We want to continue to grow and build this team around Scottie (Barnes), who is 23 years old. So, yes, you always want to be competitive, and you play to win. We will play to win “, continues the leader.
Yes, ” but it is a team in reconstruction. I think everyone sees that clearly. » It is enough to think back to the manager's latest choices, in particular to put aside the last executives of the 2019 title – Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby – to rejuvenate the team.
A young group that is still waiting for the full emergence of Scottie Barnes' leadership. One of the few veterans on the team, Jakob Poeltl has no illusions.
“Not our main objective”
“ We are all aware of the situation. The team has seen massive changes since the middle of last season. So we know that we are starting from scratch. We are fully capable of winning matches (but) I know this is not our main objective. This is a long term project », recalls the 28-year-old player.
So no, the Raptors are not going to “ aim for the title this year. It doesn't make sense for us to try as hard as possible to win every match and sacrifice our development for that. » “Development” not to say “tanking” possible, then? The word will obviously not be spoken.
“ When teams go through this, they set the tone for their play and the team culture they want to establish. You hope for the best, but we all know what the reality is in this league, and the Draft is a way for us to acquire players, especially in a market like ours », continues Masai Ujiri.
Even if, with the exception of Scottie Barnes, examples of high draft picks or players having a significant impact on the Raptors are rare over the past decade.
But this question, like others, primarily concerns leaders: “ I don't want that (the players) talk about reconstruction – that’s me. They need to talk about winning, playing and being competitive. It is in this state of mind that we want to see them. They do their job, we do ours, okay? »
