What we learned from Toronto Raptors media day entering the 2021-22 NBA season

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Raptors head coach Nick Nurse and Fred VanVleet

On Monday, the Raptors returned to Toronto to gather for media day ahead of the 2021-22 season.

Raptors general manager Bobby Webster opened the festivities and was followed by head coach Nick Nurse. Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam also spoke to the media for the first time since the 2020-21 season came to a close.

From updates on Siakam to the team's expectations this season, here's what we learned.

Pascal Siakam is progressing well

On June 11, the Raptors announced that Siakam underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

Though he hasn't yet been cleared for contact, Webster said that Siakam, who has been participating in 1-on-0 workouts, "looks good" and is "in a really positive head space."

Nurse said more of the same.

Siakam said that he initially hoped he wouldn't have to undergo surgery — it was his first surgery — but said it was the best choice for the rest of his career.

According to SN's Michael Grange, the "ball park target" for Siakam's return is US Thanksgiving. That means he's likely to miss the opening month of the season.

After earning the first All-Star and All-NBA selections of his career in 2019-20, Siakam averaged 21.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks per game in the 2020-21 season.

Versatility is the name of the game

To no surprise, it seems as though Nurse is excited to see what this team can do defensively.

According to Basketball Reference, the Raptors have 12 players on their roster who are between 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-9, a group that includes Siakam, OG Anunoby, Chris Boucher, Khem Birch, Precious Achiuwa and rookie Scottie Barnes.

Not only could we see more switching from the Raptors this season, but Nurse says they could play more zone.

In Nurse's first season as head coach, the Raptors finished with the league's fifth-best defensive rating (106.8). They were even better in 2019-20, finishing behind only the Milwaukee Bucks for best defensive rating (104.7) in the league, but fell to 15th (112.0) this past season.

Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors.jpeg

Scottie Barnes to have 'huge' role

Nurse made it quite clear.

“His role’s gonna be huge," Nurse said of Barnes. "I’m sitting here from day one ready to give him as many reps as he can handle.”

Following their first losing season since 2012-13, the Raptors selected Barnes with the No. 4 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Raptors fans got to see him in action in Summer League, where he averaged 12.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists on .412/.273/.739 shooting splits in 27.3 minutes per game.

"We ended up losing ONE game the entire Summer League. ONE," Barnes wrote in a post on The Players' Tribune this month. "And the whole time I'm thinking it's going to be a playoff bracket, because all we really wanted to do was leave Vegas Summer League as champs. Then ... I found out it was only the top two teams that played in the championship.

"I was pissed. Lol. I'm still a little mad about it. But, that just shows the love I have for this game and this city because all I want to do is play hard for this team. And I'm looking forward to showing y'all that more and more."

To boot, both Siakam and Goran Dragic had nothing but positive things to say about Barnes' personality.

Goran Dragic is already making presence felt

Speaking of Dragic, Webster said the veteran has been "a professional" since joining the Raptors and has been working out with the team for the past two weeks

Dragic said he's looking forward to being a mentor to some of the younger players on the roster, playing the same role that Steve Nash did early in his career. He also apologized again for his "higher ambitions" comment following the trade.

It's no secret that the Raptors entertained trading Dragic after they acquired him from the Miami Heat, but Webster previously said that they've been up front with him and his representatives since the start and that they ultimately want him in Toronto. 

This is the final season on Dragic's current contract.

In 2019-20, Dragic played a leading role in Miami's surprising run to the NBA Finals. In 50 games (11 starts) last season, he averaged 13.4 points and 4.4 assists.

Dragic said he will wear No. 1, not his usual No. 7, with the Raptors out of respect for Kyle Lowry.

Goran Dragic drives to the basket on the Toronto Raptors.

Setting the bar

Siakam said the Raptors want to be a team people don't want to play against. Webster, Nurse and VanVleet, meanwhile, made it clear that they expect this team to win.

In regards to returning to Toronto after spending the 2020-21 season in Tampa due to COVID-19 restrictions, VanVleet seems excited to play at Scotiabank Arena again.

The Raptors open the 2021-22 season on Oct. 20 at home with a matchup against the Washington Wizards.

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Scott Rafferty is a Senior NBA Editor for The Sporting News