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Raptors Notes: Brown, Road Woes, Chomche, Walter

November 23rd, 2024 at 9:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bruce Brown has been limited by injuries since the Raptors acquired him from Indiana in January, but he feels ready to prove himself as he gets closer to making his season debut, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. After undergoing arthroscopic surgery shortly before the start of training camp, Brown is expected to return to action sometime during the team’s four-game road trip.

“I don’t know if y’all noticed, but last year I didn’t look really engaged or (have) a lot of (the) energy I had with other teams because I was playing on one leg,” Brown said after participating in Saturday’s practice. “I want that to be addressed: I know a lot of fans didn’t think I played with a lot of energy, and I didn’t want to be here — that’s on social media — but I do want to be here, I do want to play with these guys, it’s a great bunch of guys, great coaches, great organization, but I was literally playing on one leg. It was tough for me mentally, I couldn’t move the way I wanted, play defense the way I wanted, so it was tough.”

Brown served as a versatile reserve on Denver’s 2023 title team and was one of the hottest names in free agency that summer before landing a two-year, $45MM contract with the Pacers. The Raptors picked up their $23MM team option on Brown during the offseason, hoping he would be fully recovered from the right knee issues that plagued him after he came to Toronto last season.

“I was on one leg. You could watch, first half I was pretty much fine, once the second half started and it got really stiff,” he said. “I couldn’t run, couldn’t move, (but) we had so many guys out, that’s just not how I’m built (to sit out). If I can go out there and play, I go out there and play. It was tough, obviously, it didn’t look good some of the time, I didn’t perform the way I was supposed to, but if I can do a little bit, then why not.”

There’s more from Toronto:

The Raptors are the only remaining team without a road victory, notes Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. One reason is that Scottie Barnes, who returned Thursday from an orbital bone fracture, has only played in one game away from home. Another is that RJ Barrett has been a totally different player in home games, averaging 29.3 PPG and shooting 50.8% from the floor at Scotiabank Arena and 19 PPG while shooting 37.2% everywhere else.
The Raptors are happy with the progress of second-round pick Ulrich Chomche with their G League affiliate. Appearing on The Raptors Show with Blake Murphy (video link), Raptors 905 coach Drew Jones said the former Basketball Africa League big man is handling the adjustment well. “He’s a sponge, man, and people use that term loosely, but he really is,” Jones said. “And not only is he trying to absorb the information, he’s trying to apply it in real time.”
As the Raptors head out on the road, rookie guard Ja’Kobe Walter will remain with the G League team to work his way back from a shoulder injury, Grange tweets.

Raptors Notes: Barnes, Cap Situation, Jones, Khoury, Draft

June 25th, 2024 at 10:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Now that the Raptors have agreed to a five-year max extension with Scottie Barnes, he must embrace the team’s rebuild and improve his game, Eric Koreen of The Athletic opines.

Among the things the Raptors need to see from Barnes, Koreen writes, is becoming a better finisher at the rim, a better on-ball defender and a more consistent outside shooter. Moreover, Barnes must be able to handle the responsibility of being the face of the franchise.

We have more on the Raptors:

Also weighing on the Barnes extension, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports said the clock has now truly started on the rebuild in Toronto. The Raptors might need to take another step back before getting back into playoff contention. Blake Murphy of Sportsnet takes a slightly different approach regarding Barnes’ payday, breaking down how the forward’s contract could impact their cap sheet over the coming years.
Drew Jones has been named the franchise’s new NBA G League coach with Raptors 905, according to a press release. Jones, 37, joined the Raptors organization last season as an assistant coach on Darko Rajaković’s staff. His coaching experience also includes two seasons as an assistant coach with the Pistons and two seasons with the 76ers, specializing in player development. Former 905 head coach Eric Khoury will rejoin Rajaković’s coaching staff.
The Raptors hold the No. 19 and No. 31 picks in this week’s draft. Assistant GM Dan Tolzman admits there’s plenty of uncertainty regarding who will rise and fall in the draft, as relayed by Lewenberg (Twitter links here). “This year, probably more than any year, it’s wide open,” he said. “The range of players is about as wide as I can ever remember so that really makes things difficult to project… There’s an added level of uncertainty that isnt common for this close to the draft.”
With the first pick in the second round, which will be held on Thursday after Wednesday night’s first round, Tolzman anticipates the phones being busier than usual leading up to that selection, though at this time they’re leaning towards keeping it. Tolzman also addressed a comment from agent Rich Paul, who said the Raptors might be interested in Bronny James. He offered a vague response. “He’s in the mix… Every player on the board we’re looking long and hard at and I wouldn’t say we’ve ruled anybody out,” Tolzman said.
If the Raptors decide to take a big man with one of those picks, who might available? Koreen looks at six prospects who could fit the bill, including Purdue’s Zach Edey and Duke’s Kyle Filipowski.

Raptors Notes: Coaching Staff, Poeltl, Trent, Dick

October 8th, 2023 at 8:40am CST by Luke Adams

New Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic clarified the roles that several of his assistants will have this season, explaining that Pat Delany is his lead assistant and defensive coordinator, Jama Mahlalela will oversee the offense, and James Wade will be focused on analytics, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link).

In the second row of the bench, Mike Batiste will work with the Raptors’ big men, Jim Sann will work primarily with the team’s younger players, Ivo Simovic and Vin Bhavnani will focus on scouting, and Mery Andrade and Drew Jones will be player development coaches, Lewenberg adds (via Twitter).

Here’s more on the Raptors:

After signing a new four-year, $78MM contract with the Raptors this offseason, Jakob Poeltl won’t just be asked to set screens and be a rim-runner on offense. Rajakovic would like to run more of the offense through Poeltl this season, as Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes. “Jakob is a great pick-and-roll player, but we’re going to use Jakob with the ball in his hands, we want to cut around him,” Rajakovic said. “He’s a really good passer, very unselfish player, so we’re going to be trying to play through him even more.”
Based on the Raptors’ lineups in scrimmages, it looks like the starting five will be Dennis Schröder, Scottie Barnes, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, and Poeltl, tweets Lewenberg. That would make Gary Trent Jr., who has started 128 of 153 games since arriving in Toronto, part of a second unit that also figures to feature Jalen McDaniels, Chris Boucher, and Malachi Flynn.
It remains to be seen whether veterans like Garrett Temple and Otto Porter Jr. will crack Toronto’s regular rotation, but they’re already providing value as veteran leaders for youngsters like No. 13 overall pick Gradey Dick, Lewenberg details in a TSN.ca story. “That’s the real OG,” Dick said of Temple. “Him, Otto, those guys are huge mentors to me right now. I can’t tell you the age gap between us; I can probably be their son. … I think it’s huge, [having] a guy that’s been in the league that long, learning the ropes from him and just trying to take everything that he says and put it into my game.”

Raptors Announce Darko Rajakovic’s 2023/24 Coaching Staff

July 4th, 2023 at 11:17am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors will have a new head coach and a new-look coaching staff for the 2023/24 NBA season. After parting ways with Nick Nurse in April and hiring Darko Rajakovic in June, the team issued a press release on Tuesday announcing what Rajakovic’s staff will look like.

“This coaching staff reflects the team we want to see on the court – high character, high energy, and high creativity,” Rajakovic said in a statement. “We’ve already begun the work we know needs to be done as we head into our first season in Toronto together. We’re excited by the talent, by our team’s potential, and by the job ahead.”

Here are the Raptors’ assistants under Rajakovic for ’23/24, including several names that were previously reported:

Front of the bench:

Pat Delany, an experienced NBA assistant who has worked for Charlotte, Orlando, and – most recently – the Wizards.
Jama Mahlalela, who is returning to Toronto after spending eight seasons with the Raptors from 2013-21 (six as an assistant and two as the Raptors 905 head coach). He was an assistant with the Warriors from 2021-23.
James Wade, who has spent the last five seasons in the WNBA as the general manager and head coach of the Chicago Sky. He was previously an assistant under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio from 2012-16.

Second row:

Mike Batiste, a former assistant with the Hornets, the Magic, and – this past season – the Rockets. He has also held player development roles with the Nets and Wizards.
Vin Bhavnani, a longtime member of the Thunder organization who was an assistant coach for the last four seasons after serving as the manager of advance scouting/player development for five years.
Drew Jones, who was most recently a Pistons assistant from 2021-23.
Jim Sann, who has been with the Raptors as an assistant coach since 2016/17, serving under both Dwane Casey and Nurse.
Ivo Simovic, an experienced assistant at the NCAA level. He was on UCLA’s staff last season.

The Raptors have also hired Noah Lewis and Rashaun Broadus as assistant video coordinators/player development coaches, per today’s announcement.