Raptors' Masai Ujiri Reacts to Unexpected Scottie Barnes Message
The Toronto Raptors have the right ingredients to succeed in the near future. They have a young star in Scottie Barnes, an All-Star veteran in Brandon Ingram, and a lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Additionally, they have a strong supporting cast in RJ Barrett (21.1 PPG), Immanuel Quickley (17.1 PPG), Jakob Poetl (14.5 PPG), and Gradey Dick (14.4 PPG). Other than Poetl (29), none of the aforementioned players are older than 27.
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The Raptors (30-52) missed the playoffs this season and haven't made it since 2022, but Barnes thinks they can make it next season. Team President Masai Ujiri sounded off on his star player's claim on Tuesday, via Raptors Updates' Omer Osman.
Feb 12, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) tries to get around San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan (10) during the first half at Scotiabank Arena© John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
'That's what Scottie said? I'll go with what Scottie says. He's the leader of the team,' he said.
He also mentioned that he expects the team to "continue to grow" next season.
Toronto won the 2019 NBA Finals on the back of Kawhi Leonard, who led the team with 30.5 points per game on 49 percent shooting (37.9 percent 3 PT) with 9.1 rebounds during the playoffs that season. However, the six-time All-Star walked in free agency, and the franchise hasn't returned to the mountaintop since.
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Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry, and Pascal Siakam led the Raptors to the second round the following season, losing to the Boston Celtics in seven games. They then went 27-45 the in 2021 before losing to the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2022 Western Conference Quartefinals, their most recent playoff appearance. However, Barnes won Rookie of the Year.
Related: Brandon Ingram Sends Scottie Barnes Message After Raptors Season
Related: Raptors GM Sends Clear Message Before NBA Draft
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