Not many people are fans of superteams. In fact, unless you’re part of or your favorite team assembled one, nobody likes seeing three or more stars teaming up to have an easier path to the championship.
This upcoming 2021/22 NBA season we’ll see two superteams, one in each conference. The Brooklyn Nets will try to rule the East, while the Los Angeles Lakers seek revenge in the West.
These two teams are full of talent, but with that talent comes detractors. Fans around the league have criticized the two franchises since last season, but more actors have jumped on that train this year. Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri was the last name to join that list, seemingly taking a shot at the Nets and Lakers in his first press conference after re-signing with the Canadian team.
After an offseason full of changes, Ujiri and his Raptors are focused on developing young guys to try to compete in the future.
“We’re going to create our own direction, we don’t have to go with the wave of what the NBA is doing — we’re such a copy-cat league,” Ujiri said on Wednesday, via SportsNet. “We have to ride our own opportunities. For now, our opportunities are building around the young players that we have and letting them grow.”
He’s well aware that Toronto isn’t the most desired destination for free agents, even less after Kyle Lowry left the team weeks ago. Still, Masai and his team will get the most out of what they have to prepare for the future.
“There are going to be super teams and super-super teams. … We’re not taking that route, at least for now. Our route is to grow our young players and be excited for what we have and rely on Nick and his great staff.”
“We’re not going to sit here and cry that players don’t want to come here.“
The Raptors have earned some respect around the league in prior years, but it doesn’t seem like that’s enough for marquee players to go there. After Kawhi Leonard left in the summer of 2019, they started a new era. After that year’s Finals, the Raptors saw how their history changed, but now they’re far away from repeating those days.
