Masai Ujiri and the Toronto Raptors got their offseason plans started off with a bang, firing Nick Nurse after five seasons and one championship campaign. Ujiri was finally able to talk to the media and discuss what went wrong this season, and he did not hold back.
Ujiri didn’t just point the finger at Nurse for this ill-fated season, as he said that everyone had a part to play in the poor results this season. While Nurse didn’t coach well and Ujiri assembled a flawed roster, he also called out some “selfishness” that seemed to creep into the building.
It became painfully obvious to Raptors fans and general NBA observers that this team was not built to win, and Ujiri was very aware of that fact. He tried his best to convince fans that last year was a nightmarish outlier that is not going to be predicted or tolerated in 2023-24.
Ujiri said that he “did not enjoy watching this team play” this season, adding that their inability ever truly to gain positive momentum “bothered” the entire organization.
“I did not enjoy watching this team play. That spoke loud and clear to everything that went on this year. It bothered all of us. It bothered coach too”
— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) April 21, 2023
Masai Ujiri promises big changes for the Toronto Raptors.
One of the main reasons that Ujiri claimed he was frustrated with the team was the lack of development and minutes given to young players. With Nurse choosing to lean on the starters to an inordinate degree, Toronto often choked away leads in the fourth quarter due to fatigue.
Ujiri said that early-season losses against the Pelicans and Nets, both of which saw the Raptors give up more than 70 points in the first half, as the first indication that something was not quite right. Even after the Jakob Poeltl acquisition, which Ujiri took a victory lap on in the presser, the vibes were off from then on.
Ujiri continued to promise some “big changes” that will be made in the offseason, with the Nurse firing likely a predecessor to something else that is fairly titanic. With Masai hinting at the idea that many star players could ask for a trade in the offseason, the Raptors might go big game hunting.
“We’re making big changes. I’m sure Bobby will have conversations with the staff and go from there”
— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) April 21, 2023
- on the assistants staying or not
The Raptors are not going to run it back with the same crew next season, as the Nurse firing appears to be a landmark moment in the Masai Ujiri regime’s history. Time will tell if whomever they hire to replace him ends up improving upon what Nurse did during his tenure.