Toronto Raptors GM, Masaii Ujiri, did not sugar coat it when asked about the upcoming season.
“I would use the word rebuilding. That’s the right word,” Ujiri said when asked to describe the upcoming season. “I think we have a clear path now going forward. … I think we set a path (when) we went into the draft last year and got a couple of young players, and we want to continue to grow and build this team around Scottie (Barnes), who is 23 years old. … So, yes, in sports, you always want to be competitive, and you play to win. We’re going to play to win. But it is a rebuilding team. I think everybody sees that loud and clear.”
Toronto center, Jakob Poeltl, also talked about the upcoming season and the potential growing pains that will be associated with the process.
“We’re all aware of the situation. We had a massive change in the team since the middle of last season. So, we know that we’re starting somewhere in the beginning,” said Poeltl. “We’re definitely capable of winning some games (but) I know that’s not the main focus for us … this has to be a long-term project. I think we all know; we’re not going to go attack the championship this year. It makes no sense for us to try to win every single game as much as we can and sacrifice development in terms of that.”
The Raptors are coming off a season where they finished with a win-loss record of 25-57 which landed them at the 12th spot in the Eastern Conference.
Masaii Ujiri Embracing Rebuilding Phase With Toronto
Toronto Raptors Aware They are in a Rebuilding Process
While the process right now is painful for Raptors fans, brighter days are on the horizon. As Masaii Ujiri alluded to, Scottie Barnes is a terrific young talent who is only 23 years old. He has already taken great strides in his development. Toronto is also high on other young players such as Gradey Dick, Chris Boucher, and Jordan Nwora. With a couple of more solid drafts and some savvy offseason roster moves, the Raptors could find themselves back in contention in the next three or four season if all goes right. The team just has to remain patient and continue to build around Scottie Barnes. All in all, if there is any GM up for this particular job, it is none other than Masaii Ujiri himself.
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