海角社区官网

What Webster will do is sit back and watch to see what he and Masai Ujiri built, let it percolate, settle.

Webster, like anyone who鈥檚 paid any close attention to the Raptors for the last six months, thinks things might work out, but he does not know.

鈥淚 think the talent level is high, but we still have to see the fit and I think that鈥檚 what everybody is probably waiting to see, and has been waiting for (for) a while,鈥� Webster said in addressing the media Friday morning.

鈥淪o, we鈥檙e waiting right there with you.鈥�

It鈥檇 be ludicrous to think Webster would assume full control after Ujiri鈥檚 ouster in June and immediately make changes to put his imprint on the roster.

First, that鈥檚 not how he operates. Second, and most important, the Raptors’ presumptive starting five of Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram and Jakob Poeltl have not played a second together in a game.

Maybe it works fine, maybe it doesn鈥檛, but there鈥檚 no way Webster鈥檚 considering change until he鈥檚 seen that. After that, though? Nothing鈥檚 off the table.

鈥淲e have continuity, so you don鈥檛 want to get away from that, but you also don鈥檛 sort of want to be afraid to make change,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 where we are.

鈥淵ou guys know me, it鈥檚 not my natural personality. I鈥檓 not going to come out here and make sweeping statements and pound my fist on the table, so it鈥檚 really still an assessment. I think the tough part is, we didn’t get to see this team play. I think if we get to see this team play, then hopefully I and our group will more quickly be able to make those decisions.鈥�

The nuts and聽bolts of making the lineup work will lie with coach Darko Rajakovic, starting with the first official practice Tuesday in Calgary.

Webster has his thoughts 鈥� Ingram鈥檚 shot-creating skills will dovetail with Barnes鈥� rather than conflict with it; Barrett鈥檚 ready to be more consistent at both ends; the young core will sort itself into some semblance of rotational order 鈥� and wants to see tangible proof, one way or the other.

鈥淚t’s really difficult before you see Brandon with this group, before you see Collin (Murray-Boyles, the summer鈥檚 key draft selection) play, or before you see sort of Darko have a team like this to coach to say, 鈥極K, we’re going to make a ton of changes,鈥欌�� Webster said.

鈥淏ut I do think what hopefully you’ll see as I evaluate the team, and our group evaluates the team, is we won’t be afraid to make change. And I think you’ve seen that the 12 years I’ve been here before. We’re going to not think the same way as the rest of the NBA. We’re going to not, sort of, follow the leader in that sense.鈥�

One thing Webster has done, much in tandem with Ujiri, is provide Rajakovic with a lot of options, and that may force him into a lot of tough playing-time decisions.

海角社区官网played five rookies in various roles last season and added Ingram, backup big man Sandro Mamukelashvili and the rookie Murray-Boyles to the mix.

That鈥檚 a lot of guys who, theoretically, should challenge for minutes. And it should, theoretically, give the general manager a bevy of possibilities if they all pan out.

鈥淲e think we have 11, 12 rotation guys, and I think that third group always wants to push the second group, the second group always wants to push the first group and I think that dynamic is working well for us,鈥� Webster said. 鈥淗aving a little bit of looking over your shoulder, I think, has been good, and I think that’s what we have now. And so if you feel a couple of the footsteps, I think it probably brings out the best.鈥�