Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji, obtained from the Utah Jazz on Thursday, dressed but did not play in Friday’s frenetic Raptors win. They are expected to make their debuts on Saturday when Toronto hosts Cleveland to wrap up a rare home back-to-back.
But it didn’t mean that Olynyk missed the significance of his first game as a Raptor. He walked on to the court for his first pre-game workout and paused a split second to take stock of his surroundings.
An hour or so later, chatting with reporters for the first time since the trade, the Toronto native tried to explain what it all meant to him
“It’s a full-circle moment,” he said. “It’s really cool to look back at your life and everything that you’ve done up till now, and how monumental the Raptors have been in my life. My mom was a scorekeeper here. My dad was an associate coach here for a year.”
Olynyk and Agbaji — acquired for Otto Porter Jr., Kira Lewis Jr. and a draft pick — didn’t play because of a combination of the trade-related upheaval to their lives, a long Friday of travel from Salt Lake City and their unfamiliarity with teammates. What they witnessed was what the rest of this season is likely to be: a group of young, talented Raptors who can be wildly entertaining and connected at times while looking like strangers still learning how to play — and win — in the NBA.
There were great moments: a 34-point first quarter, crisp and efficient ball movement, a ball-hawking defence that forced repeated turnovers.
And there were droughts: the Rockets went on an 18-2 run in the second quarter; Toronto was up by 20 with five minutes left in the third, and just one when Houston’s Dillon Brooks made a three-pointer with 23.3 seconds left.
RJ Barrett made two clutch foul shots and Toronto survived to win its second game in a row.
“At one of our last timeouts there — when I think we had a nine- or 10-point lead with five, six minutes to go — I told guys: We just need to learn how to close those games — what it takes, how to execute, how to get that extra rebound that we need,” said Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic.
“It came down to the last couple of possessions that we needed to get a stop. It’s going to be a really good film for us to watch and then learn.”
That’s predictable for this young Raptors group, but being able to pull out a win at least gives a tangible result for some hard work.
“We’ve got to keep our aggressiveness a little bit,” said centre Jakob Poeltl, who was tremendous with 15 points, 13 rebounds and six blocked shots. “It’s one thing to not play wild and manage your lead — you want to play smart — we made it a little bit too easy for them getting stops at the end of the game. Part of it is missing a couple of looks that usually go in. Not worried about it, especially because we found a way to win.”
Immanuel Quickley had 25 points for the Raptors, Barrett added 21 and Scottie Barnes crept up on a triple-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
If that trio can continue to grow together, all the roster machinations will have been worth it, and Olynyk and Agbaji will be fine complementary pieces.
Olynyk, now in his 11th season with his sixth team, was in the middle of several trade rumours leading into Thursday. He had drawn interest from contending teams and had to dial back any expectations of going deep in the playoffs to join a rebuilding Raptors team.
“Obviously the trade deadline is hectic for everybody, but there’s a lot of activity (laughs) and my name was in a lot of places,” he said. “And Toronto kind of came out of nowhere. The last 24 hours before the deadline, I knew there was a shot to come here, but didn’t know how serious it was. And then it heated up and it was super exciting.”
Agbaji, a six-foot-three guard who was a 2022 lottery pick of the Cavaliers, also has Toronto ties, although far less than Olynyk.
Agbaji’s father Olofu, who is Nigerian, has been a friend of Raptors president Masai Ujiri for years, and Ujiri welcomed the younger Agbaji to his new “family” when the trade was completed.
“He was basically saying, you know, you’re with family now,” the younger Agbaji said. “I know him for five or six years now and he’s really close with my dad.
“They grew up together, and kind of having those relations before being on the team and knowing him was good. So now being here, yeah, he’s right. It’s like being with family.”
The Raptors made the move in order to get players who want to play here, just as much as for the on-court fit, which is yet very much to be determined.
Before the game, Rajakovic remarked, “They were really upbeat and very excited to join our team.” They are pleased with the youthful squad that we have assembled, which includes athletes in their 20s.
Ochai is a perfect fit for it. I believe that Kelly’s happiness and enjoyment of our team are much influenced by his return home.
Because they desire to be here, I believe it to be quite significant. We wish they were present. It just provides us with consistency so that we may begin creating something truly unique.
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