» Playoffs? Raptors say their rebuild is way ahead of schedule

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So long Raptors rebuild, we hardly knew you.

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Coming off seasons of 25 and 30 wins, the Raptors players believe they are ready to re-enter the conversation in the Eastern Conference.

If that seems a bit quick, it might be. Most teams don’t turn things around that fast, and team president Masai Ujiri himself had even said such an endeavour might take three to five years, but this isn’t the Eglinton LRT.

The Raptors believe they are way ahead of schedule. Only 12 teams won more games than Toronto’s 12 after March 1, and Toronto had the second-best defence in the entire NBA after the all-star break (the Raptors ranked just 26th offensively in that same period, but the hope is that Brandon Ingram, the most talented offensive player the team has had since Kawhi Leonard, should help a lot on that end of the floor).

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That’s why team leader Scottie Barnes and many of the others who took the podium at a season-ending media availability Monday were full of optimism.

“I expect us to be really good. For sure, getting into the playoffs and make a great run. With the team that we have, there are no excuses. We should be in the playoffs and make a good run,” said Barnes, who thanked Raptors fans for their support through some tough times.

“Being with these guys every single day this season and seeing the progress that we made each and every single game, seeing people getting better, you see how close we are, it just makes me super excited,” Barnes continued.

“I love our team. We’ve got a lot of great pieces. I feel like we’ve got what it takes. We’ve got a great young core. Starting five is going to be crazy next year. Like I said, we’re still going to add some talent. But with the things that we’ve got in place, with our foundation and how we want to play, how we want to guard and disrupt teams, we have the pieces and we’ve just got to make it happen,” he said.

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Back in October Jakob Poeltl had been honest when asked to appraise the state of the franchise and the season that was to come. He didn’t pretend this was a team ready to win, saying nobody was expecting a huge season, just one filled with regular improvement and the building blocks toward a brighter future.

On Monday, the team’s starting centre, who statistically was neck-and-neck with Barnes as the club’s most impactful player in the best season of his career, was also in high spirits.

“I’m actually really positive as far as the outlook goes. I think we’ve shown that we have a really good foundation that we can build on here. And I think our front office has shown that they want to build on that foundation quickly with (the trade for Brandon Ingram),” Poeltl said.

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“Obviously, like, we still have to test this whole shift. We haven’t had a chance, even with the guys that we had without considering (Ingram),” Poeltl said. “We didn’t have a whole lot of time on the court together with injuries, and then obviously the end of the season being what it was (with so many Raptors being rested down the stretch).

“I’m happy with where we’re heading and trending in the right direction. Now it’s just about going out there and getting it.”

If you rewind 365 days, things were nowhere near as rosy where the Raptors were concerned. The first year of the Darko Rajakovic Era had featured trades of two key long-time Raptors, more losses than the franchise had suffered in years, and all kinds of injuries and personal tragedies. Plus there was a gambling scandal and no intriguing rookies for anyone to get excited about. Plus, the team was about to surrender its Top 10 pick to San Antonio to complete the Poeltl trade, meaning all the suffering was for naught.

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So, much has changed. The front office hit on a number of draft picks — if not home runs, at least singles, doubles and maybe triples on the likes of Ja’Kobe Walter, Jonathan Mogbo and Jamal Shead, plus undrafted free agent Jamison Battle, who led all freshman in three-point and free throw shooting. And a Top 10 pick is on the way in a class of players that is considered one of the best to come along in years.

“I think if he saw my face last year at this time, I don’t think I was probably looking the right way,” Barnes said. “But I’m pretty excited for what this team holds and what we’re going to grow into. We have a lot of really great pieces on this team and we’re going to add another great piece. So, I’m super excited for what we got started. It’s only the beginning and I see this team going a long way next year.”

The players know that it won’t take much to ignite a passionate fan base that craves some post-season basketball.

“It’s funny. I was literally talking to my best friend last night,” said RJ Barrett, who great up in nearby Mississauga. “He’s like, ‘Yo, you got to get back to the playoffs. You guys being the Toronto Raptors, like that, it’s gonna be so crazy in the city.’ So, yeah, I think about stuff like that every day. I’m really excited for that.”

@WolstatSun

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