‘Future is very bright for us’: Raptors reflect on season after Game 7 loss - BERITAJA

Scottie Barnes posed a mobility earlier answering pinch his thoughts.

“Successful? I don’t cognize about successful, but it was a bully play for us.”

The Toronto Raptors’ two-time all-star and look of the franchise was 1 of respective players who said during the team’s end-of-season readiness Monday. The squad was ousted successful the first information of the NBA playoffs aft a 114-102 Game 7 nonaccomplishment to the Cavaliers successful Cleveland connected Sunday.

Barnes, who thought the squad could’ve gone further, did admit the positives from the play which saw the Raptors return to the post-season for the first clip since 2022.

“I felt for illustration we went retired location each azygous crippled and we conscionable sewage better,” he said. “Found retired much about ourselves aft each and each azygous crippled and we worked really hard. … Didn’t time off thing connected the table. It felt for illustration a coagulated season.”

Toronto was without starting constituent defender Immanuel Quickley for the playoffs. All-star Brandon Ingram near Game 5 pinch an wounded and missed the last 2 games.

Ingram said the bottommost wounded flared up successful March but he stuck done it arsenic the squad was successful the heavy of a title to the playoffs. However, the discomfort during the post-season was excessively overmuch for him.

The 28-year-old led the squad pinch 21.5 points per crippled during the regular season.

Meanwhile, Quickley strained his correct hamstring successful the regular-season finale April 12 and re-aggravated it while moving his measurement back.

When asked if he could’ve played successful the 2nd information had Toronto advanced, he said “it was a small spot much serious.”

Quickley added that “it’s a small early to opportunity correct now,” arsenic to whether he’ll person a afloat off-season of training owed to the injury. The 26-year-old averaged 16.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and a career-high 5.9 assists successful 70 regular-season games.

The Raptors made a 16-win jump successful the regular season, finishing 46-36 to unafraid the 5th seed successful the Eastern Conference.

“Obviously, ever the extremity end is to triumph a title but I deliberation from wherever we were past twelvemonth till now has been a huge, immense jump,”

Canadian defender RJ Barrett said. “So it’s successful successful that, but besides because I deliberation that you could benignant of spot conscionable the activity that’s put successful and wherever we could spell successful the future. I deliberation the early is very agleam for america and it’s only the beginning.”

Barrett was 1 of a fistful of players who shined successful the post-season for Toronto. He paced the squad pinch averages of 24.1 points and 7.0 rebounds while shooting 47.7 per cent from the section and 38.6 per cent from three-point range.

“(I) deliberation this was my about businesslike play truthful far, truthful conscionable increasing successful that way, knowing really to beryllium successful pinch less,” the Mississauga, Ont., autochthonal said. “You sewage a feline for illustration Brandon Ingram into the operation trying to play disconnected of him and Scottie and Quick’s constituent defender truthful he has the shot a lot. Just trying to find wherever I fresh successful connected some sides of the basketball.

” … I deliberation it’s a luxury that I have, it’s the luxury that we person connected this squad to beryllium capable to benignant of play positionless.”
Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles proved to beryllium a valuable halfway piece, particularly connected the protect broadside of the ball. Second-year guards Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter besides shone successful large spots pinch the squad being undermanned.

“I deliberation they did an astonishing job,” centre Jakob Poeltl said. “We could person easily, you know, conscionable benignant of gave up successful the series. We didn’t person Quick, we didn’t person BI for a batch of the series. Even erstwhile he was playing, for illustration he was ever for illustration struggling pinch his wellness a small bit.

” … Pretty overmuch each of them is for illustration their first playoff experiences retired there. And for them to measurement up successful that mode is really impressive. Just going retired location and playing our marque of basketball, not hiding from thing aliases anyone, conscionable going out, they’re being aggressive. It was bully to see, it fills maine pinch assurance for the future.”