Toronto Raptors President of Basketball Operations Masai Ujiri looks on as the Raptors take on the Phoenix Suns in Toronto on Jan. 11.Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press
With Thursday’s trade deadline in the rear-view mirror and the Raptors back to winning ways – Toronto’s eight-game streak of success is the longest active run in the NBA – restoring some semblance of home-court advantage is next on president Masai Ujiri’s to-do list.
“This game is all about playing, winning [and] human interaction,” he said Friday during a media availability.
While two out of three ain’t bad, as the song goes, Ujiri has never been known as someone who settles for a fraction of success.
Current provincial COVID-19 mandates have restricted the Raptors to playing home games in front of 500 season-ticket holders and VIPs – such as Drake – at Scotiabank Arena. That number is set to increase to 50-per-cent capacity starting Feb. 21, before potentially returning to full capacity on March 14, providing COVID cases continue to trend downward.
Never one to sit idly by, Ujiri and Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment are having conversations with the relevant authorities in hopes of bringing those dates forward, even though he might have to relinquish his current game-time perch to a paying customer.
“We miss our fans, even though I like the seat I have right now,” he joked.
No matter where you sit at Scotiabank Arena, there is a lot to like about the Raptors. Set to put their eight-game win streak on the line Saturday night when reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets come to town, Ujiri’s team is 17-6 since New Year’s Eve, the best record in the Eastern Conference over that time span.
The team had something of a quiet deadline, though, settling for trading Goran Dragic and his expiring contract along with a protected first-round draft pick to the San Antonio Spurs for Thaddeus Young, Drew Eubanks and the Detroit Pistons’ second-round pick, previously acquired by the Spurs. The Raptors then waived Eubanks shortly after the deal.
Though general manager Bobby Webster and head coach Nick Nurse talked up the 33-year-old Young as a versatile veteran who they had been pursuing for some time, others might suggest that the Raptors didn’t do enough at the deadline to bolster their bench, currently averaging a league-worst 22.9 points a game.
With starters Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby ranked first to third in the NBA in minutes played this season – all averaging north of 37 a game – and rookie Scottie Barnes seventh at 35.9, the idea of spelling them down the stretch to save their legs for the playoffs would seem to have merit.
The Raptors will be desperately hoping that their reserves can follow in the footsteps of Chris Boucher, who has averaged 9.9 points and 6.9 rebounds during the team’s recent purple patch since Dec. 31, versus the 5.9 points and 3.9 rebounds he averaged during Toronto’s first 23 games of the season.
However, if that uptick in form doesn’t come to pass, Ujiri says the Raptors are happy to continue to rely on that core four and Gary Trent Jr., with the team leaning heavily on the medical staff to ensure players are able to withstand the rigours.
Besides, he reasoned, come playoff time, it’s that group that will be getting the lion’s share of the minutes anyway.
“Hopefully the minutes spread out a little bit,” he said. “But that concentration on them playing like that, that’s what the playoffs is going to be in some ways, especially them learning to play with each other.”
Besides winning, the other point of emphasis for Ujiri on Friday was growth, especially after “the Tampa tank,” referring to the team’s first non-playoff season in eight years last year when the Raptors went 27-45 playing out of Amalie Arena in Florida.
He made special mention of VanVleet, Anunoby and Siakam, saying that the former’s all-star nomination is deserved recognition for his continued growth, while in his mind the latter has been having “an all-star year.”
“Our goal is to stay the course with these guys and keep building, keep growing,” he said.
But the precocious play of Barnes had Ujiri combing through his memory banks to recall another standout rookie performance on one of his clubs, with the 20-year-old’s development into a reliable NBA player drawing comparisons to a young Carmelo Anthony.
“Carmelo was incredible, but I didn’t manage the team then,” he said, before adding that of the franchises that have fallen under his watch, “I think this is the highest level that I’ve seen.”
With the Raptors sixth in the Eastern Conference, the postseason is very much within reach, even playing in a tight conference in which other teams in the playoff race, such as the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers, made big moves at the deadline.
While the addition of Young should help, both on the court and in the locker room, Ujiri is counting on the fans to provide that extra push to get his team over the playoff hump.
“We’re very confident of who our organization is,” he said. “That’s why we can’t wait to get our fans back. We know that building will be full right away. We can’t wait to get that atmosphere back.”