Scottie Barnes recently reiterated his desire to qualify for the playoffs during the team’s Media Day. The Toronto Raptors’ last postseason appearance was in 2022, where they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round.
“I think our expectations for our team is to definitely make the playoffs and win some games in the playoffs,” Barnes said on Media Day via Sportsnet.
“That’s the standard,” he continued. “That’s the bottom line, with how talented we are and what we should be able to achieve for this team. You know we’re hungry, we’ve got a lot to prove and we’re going to go out there and show it.”
The Toronto Raptors finished as the Eastern Conference’s 11th seed, following a 30-52 record last season. This offseason, they re-signed Jakob Poeltl and Garrett Temple to new deals while agreeing to a two-year contract with Sandro Mamukelashvili.
Brandon Ingram wasn’t able to suit up for the Toronto Raptors last season due to injuries, but he’ll finally get his chance this upcoming season. The former No. 2 overall pick spoke glowingly about his latest opportunity during Media Day.
“I’m just excited to bring my skill level and make things easier for other guys. Playmaking, scoring the basketball, defense, getting steals, going on the other end, and just having fun,” Ingram said.
“It (does) feel like a fresh start all the new faces, new coaches, learning new things… It’s been a long time since I’ve been on the basketball floor, so I’m excited just to get out there,” he added.
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