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Raptors
Brandon Ingram says he’s embracing a new chapter in Toronto.
In an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, the former Pelicans forward said he still has “a lot of love for New Orleans” but felt it was time for a change.
“This team can be whatever we want it to be,” Ingram said of the Raptors. “We have everything on the defensive end. We play hard. The next thing is execution over and over again on the offensive end.
“The East is wide open. We have a chance to be better, but we’ve got to expedite it.”
Ingram, 28, averaged 23.2 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.1 rebounds last season with New Orleans before being dealt to Toronto in July.
Suns
Mark Williams looks ready to go when the Suns open the season Wednesday, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.
“This was the most minutes he’s seen in a scrimmage that we’ve played,” head coach Jordan Ott said. “You can see his size on both ends — offensively he puts pressure on the rim, and defensively he makes people think twice.”
Williams, who has battled injuries throughout his young career, has appeared in only 106 of a possible 246 games since entering the league. Phoenix has been cautious with his workload this preseason, but Ott said he expects the 7-footer to start at center.
The Suns will also mix in Oso Ighodaro, Nick Richards, and rookie Khaman Maluach as part of a “fluid” rotation early on.
“On a night-to-night basis, we’ll have a plan,” Ott said. “But we have to be flexible and read the games to see who’s impacting winning.”
Nets
No. 8 overall pick Egor Demin says his foot injury predated the NBA Draft.
The 19-year-old Russian guard/forward told The New York Post’s Brian Lewis that the plantar fascia tear he’s been rehabbing actually occurred before June — not during Summer League — and simply got worse over time.
While the Nets expect to monitor his foot all season, Demin said he doesn’t anticipate needing surgery. He made his preseason debut Thursday and impressed, scoring 14 points with five rebounds in 19 minutes against the Raptors.
“He was excellent,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “He’s composed, he talks to his teammates, and he made it look easy. He shot it when he was open, got to the line, and rebounded. It was good to see.”
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