Ujiri: I didn't enjoy watching Raptors this season

Toronto Raptors vice chairman and president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri reflected on a disappointing 2022-23 campaign during his end-of-season media availability.

"I did not enjoy watching this team play, and I think that spoke loud and clear to everything that went on this year," Ujiri told reporters Friday, according to Vivek Jacob of Raptors.com. "It bothered us. It bothered (Nick Nurse), too."

Toronto took a step back after reaching the playoffs last year, winning seven fewer games and finishing ninth in the East. They slipped a few spots to 11th in defensive efficiency and ranked 25th in half-court offense, posting just 94.5 points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass.

Part of the Raptors' struggles offensively can be attributed to a lack of floor spacing, as the team finished 28th in both 3-point field goals (10.7 per game) and percentage (33.5%).

The Raptors fired Nurse earlier Friday. However, Ujiri refused to put the blame on the coach and instead took responsibility for Toronto eventually fizzling out in the play-in tournament against the Chicago Bulls. He added that the season wasn't indicative of the team's true identity.

"I think that (play-in) game summed up what has gone on in this organization," Ujiri said, per Sportsnet's Blake Murphy. "The feel, the spirit of who we are, it's been very disappointing for us, and we want to gain our momentum back as a team. Togetherness, all the things - culture - we have stood for, we lacked."