I remember assistant coach Pat Delany mentioning during his session the importance of making defense messy. He stressed that players should keep their arms moving, working on hand activity, staying focused and getting their chin on the ball. While this might sound like a chaotic, spazzy style of defense, Delany offered a key analogy: players need to have a " cobra mentality" instead of a " woodpecker mentality," waiting patiently for the right moment to strike.
One player who has clawed his way into the rotation as a Raptor has been Ochai Agbaji. After he was acquired from the Utah Jazz in 2024, Agbaji was brought on as somewhat of a project player that pronto was looking to rehabilitate, and safe to say, he has not wasted their belief in him. Brandon Ingram mentioned Agbaji specifically during his media availability yesterday, showing that he is continuing to make an impact on his teammates and this organization.