This time last year, there were no expectations; the Toronto Raptors’ front office and players said that themselves. This year, however, while there isn’t a set goal, the influx of talent through another draft class, free agent signings, and last year’s trade deadline acquisition, Brandon Ingram, has made the team have more talent than it has had in the last couple of years, suggesting things should improve.
With general manager Bobby Webster now fully calling the shots, there isn’t necessarily a target for what he wants the outcome of the season to look like.
“Win the day, one percent better, no finish line, I think you have to build a team that way,” said Webster. “If you have a specific goal in mind, a specific win [total], I don’t know if that’s the best way to build, especially with a young group. When they lock in, that day-to-day improvement is what ends up resulting in being in the playoffs or being in the play-in.
“We won 30 games last year, so I don’t think there’s any illusions or expectations of this number of wins or this playoff seed. You’ll see in training camp, you’ll see as preseason evolves, but we feel like the summer has been incredible for these guys.”
There have been so many players in and out of the lineup with injuries over the past couple of seasons. Pair that with all the young talent that has come in recently, and the front office is in information-gathering mode with what they have and how everything will mesh together.
“We have a starting group that we really haven’t ever seen play together,” said Webster. “Darko [Rajakovic] is in year three, so I think we have a lot of things in our favour and a lot of things that suggest we will be competitive, but we haven’t put that full season together yet. I think that’s the challenge for this group.
“The talent level is high, we still have to see the fit. I think that’s what everyone is waiting to see, and has been waiting for a while, so we’re waiting right there with you, but we have enough talent.”
Webster and the Raptors have to find the balance and thread the needle on giving the group time to gel, but recognizing if it’s not working, it’s just not working. With the Dinos being right along the tax and multiple players needing new contracts, the financial component has an impact, but the degree of that impact seems to be very little.
“The financial piece, I don’t even know how big a story that one is,” said Webster. “The likelihood of this team being the same team by the end of the year is probably zero. Put on top, that one move you can get under the tax. I don’t see that as the urgent piece; the basketball is always the urgent piece.
“If we don’t come out and we’re not competitive, it forces us to evaluate it. I don’t think it’s exacerbated by any outside timeline or financial pressure. I think we are fortunate to be in one of the biggest and most lucrative markets in the NBA, so I don’t see the financial piece affecting us.”
Overall, improvement day-to-day is the expectation with this young group that hasn’t played much together. If that happens, the rest will come. If it doesn’t, it remains to be seen if Webster will start to make his imprint felt on the roster as early as this season.
“We have continuity, so you don’t want to get away from that, but you also don’t want to be afraid to make change, that’s sort of where we are,” said Webster.
“It’s not my personality to make sweeping statements and pound my fist on the table, it’s still an assessment, the tough part is we didn’t get to see this team play. If we get to see this team play, hopefully our group and I will more quickly be able to make those decisions. It’s difficult before you see Brandon [Ingram] with this group, before you see Collin [Murray-Boyles] play, before you see Darko have a team like this coach to say we’re gonna make a ton of changes.”
