Report: Raptors Coaches Advise Young Players Not to Stress Results amid Losing Season

At least for now, the Toronto Raptors are emphasizing internally that on-court results aren't paramount as their playoff drought is on pace to enter a third season, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer.

Fischer reported Tuesday that Toronto's coaches "have been direct with the team's young players about not stressing game night results this season" and want to focus instead on "development and growth ahead of next year."

As evidenced by the Raptors' acquisition of Brandon Ingram and his $120 million extension, their mindset will be much different come this summer. Fischer cited one source who said they "want to compete starting next year."

Even before the Ingram trade, the front office was displaying a strong show of faith in its young core.

Toronto doesn't re-sign center Jakob Poeltl in 2023 to a four-year, $78 million contract if it intends on doing a long-term rebuild. Then there were the massive extensions for guard Immanuel Quickley and Scottie Barnes.

The Raptors are on track to have the ninth-highest payroll ($233.5 million), which includes salary cap holds, in the NBA for 2025-26. They're going to be only $12.2 million under the luxury tax's first apron.

Ownership and the front office aren't spending that kind of money for a roster it expects to be lottery-worthy.

Only time will tell whether that assessment is correct.

As a fan, you'd be feeling a lot better if Toronto's young core was showing more progress in terms of wins and losses. At 17-38, the team's .309 winning percentage is almost exactly where it finished 2023-24 (25-57). It's one thing to narrowly miss the postseason; it's another to be 13th in the Eastern Conference.

Barnes hasn't made the kind of breakthrough to cement himself as a true elite star. Injuries have limited Quickley to 16 games, so it's tough to evaluate his season too much. RJ Barrett seems to have plateaued.

And in Ingram, the franchise is banking its hopes on a player who has logged 70-plus appearances just once since entering the NBA in 2016.

There is plenty of theoretical upside with the Raptors because Barnes, Quickley, Barrett, Gradey Dick and Ochai Agbaji are all 25 or younger.

But you can also envision a scenario in which Toronto put a firm ceiling on its potential by being far too optimistic about the talent it had before making a big win-now move with the Ingram trade.