A number of fans in Toronto took exception to comments Bruce Brown made about his time with the Raptors ahead of training camp last week. The veteran guard, who is back with the Nuggets after spending the past two seasons with the Pacers, Raptors, and Pelicans, spoke at media day about being part of “a lot of losing basketball” since leaving the Nuggets as a free agent in 2023 and told Marc J. Spears of Andscape that he had thought about coming back to Denver “as soon as I got to Toronto.”
Ahead of the Nuggets’ game against the Raptors on Monday, Brown spoke to Kayla Grey of TSN (Twitter link) about those remarks, explaining that they weren’t intended as a shot at Toronto or the Raptors.
“Media day, they asked me, ‘When did you think about getting to Denver’ And I said when I got to Toronto. That wasn’t like I didn’t want to go Toronto,” Brown said. “I went to Indy. I finally chose where I could go, and three months in, they trade me, and I’m like, ‘Why the f–k did I go? I could have stayed in Denver and been happy.’
“I think Toronto’s one of the best cities in the NBA, easily. Like, I loved my time in Toronto. It’s insane. So don’t let people on social media twist my words, because I loved my time in Toronto. But it’s just the beast of it.”
Here are a few more notes on the Raptors:
- Scottie Barnes failed to make a field goal and all five Raptors starters had negative net ratings in the team’s preseason opener against Denver on Monday. Still, while the game showed that there’s plenty of room for improvement, Brandon Ingram‘s Raptors debut was an encouraging one, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, who notes that the veteran forward looked “perfectly comfortable” generating half-court offense, which is why the team traded for him last season. Ingram had a team-high 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting.
- Gradey Dick and Ja’Kobe Walter were the Raptors’ first-round picks in 2023 and 2024, respectively, but their roles for the 2025/26 season aren’t guaranteed. According to Grange, both players are embracing the challenge of having to fight for minutes in Toronto’s rotation. “This is the first time in my life, no doubt, that I’ve had to (battle for minutes),” Walter said on Sunday. “It’s definitely the first time, I’d say, where I haven’t been like the main guy on the team, but you know, I love it. I like the competitiveness. I like the drive I have to have every day.”
- Second-year Raptors point guard Jamal Shead has emerged as the leader among the club’s younger players, per Eric Koreen of The Athletic. While Koreen likens Shead’s role to the one Fred VanVleet played on a young second unit during his early years in Toronto, the 23-year-old downplayed his impact. “Honestly, it’s just information. I’m a point guard. I give out information. They take it, they receive it, and then we move on from there,” Shead said. “I don’t think it’s more of them just following me (because) I’m the best leader ever. I think it’s just more of a respect thing.”
Raptors stink. This isn’t news
… but good enough to be a play-in team in East this season.
To be fair, a play in team in the east this year probably sucks.
@lil. That’s right. Take the first preseason game, against a top team no less, and base it on that….
I’m not basing it on this game and I’m basing it on their roster
@lil. They have a very good starting five. If everyone stays healthy, this is a 4–6 playoff team. The one area they really need to improve on is three point shooting. If they can up their percentage, they can be a dangerous team.
I also like the Toronto starters and believe they can squeeze in at 5-6 because, let’s face it, the East has 9 teams that don’t deserve a playoff spot. This is an historically weak conference.
CLE, DET, ORL, NYK are early a cut above Toronto. ATL is probably better also, but not by much. As for the other 9 teams, a HEALTHY Toronto is much more talented.
BOS, IND, PHI, and MIA have key players missing, and will be happy to be in the play-in. CHI and MIL have no talent. BKN, WAS, and CHA will be tanking. This will be a very good defensive team, even with Brandon Ingram.
Why is the argument for Toronto being good that they can get the 5 or 6 seed in a weak conference? How does that make them good? Whose goal is that?
Eastern Conference fans this season will have a much lower standard than Western Conference fans. What’s “good” in one conference” is “mediocre at best” in the other.
Finishing 5-6 makes the Raptors a playoff team in the East, and almost certainly involves winning more games than losing (mostly because they’ll play a lot more games against Eastern than Western teams). IMO, fans in the East would call that finish “good”. Not “great”, not “bad”, just “good”.
But Western Conference fans won’t call the Raptors “good” as Toronto wouldn’t make the playoffs in the West. They’d be under .500. That’s not “good” t
Shead trying to pull off an ‘aw shucks’ while proceeding to still toot his own horn … lol
Nobody in Toronto cared about Brown’s comments, its same old Spears dropping nonsense and false narrative for engagement farming. Trust me fans wanted him traded foe young assets because the team was not competitive while he was here, but that contract was a non starter for every team looking to acquire him.
I think Mark Spears is highly credible. He’s one of a handful of NBA reporters who trades on his reputation. I’d put Ramona Shelburne and Dave McMenamin also come to mind. They’re not trying to break stories, but players and front-offices will use these reporters because of their reputation for truth and fairness.
Shams is another story.