Patrick Patterson had a career-year in 2013-14 and as a result, his future with the Raptors was somewhat in doubt this summer. Sure to receive interest from other clubs around the league, if he ultimately chose to walk, his absence would definitely be felt in Toronto.
But the versatile big man ultimately decided to re-sign, inking a long-term deal with the Raptors and adding to an off-season of solid signings that included Kyle Lowry and Greivis Vasquez.
In an exclusive one-on-one from training camp in Vancouver, Patterson was candid about Canada and his past, present and future with the Raps.
Sportsnet: The way last season ended didn’t sit well with you guys. How much motivation did you draw from that when you were working out this summer?
Patrick Patterson: There was a lot of motivation just because I knew—I felt like—we shouldn’t have lost [Game 7 against the Brooklyn Nets]. We should have been the ones advancing to play Miami. I’ve got to use that motivation throughout the course of this year, continually get better with my jump shot and make sure I’m more confident with it each and every game. I also have to work on my defence—my lateral quickness, my post defence and my rebounding abilities. I want to be better all over the court and progressively get better throughout this year.
SN: How much was the decision to come back a part of building on what’s already happening with the Raptors?
PP: A lot of that decision came down to me being comfortable here and having faith in what we’re doing and building. We were a young team, we had great leadership with Kyle [Lowry] and DeMar [DeRozan], and JV (Jonas Valanciunas) was up and coming and only getting better. I felt like my situation was going to evolve and continually get better—I was happy. There haven’t been a lot of teams that I’ve been with where I was happy, comfortable with my situation and where I felt confident enough in myself and the organization that they wanted me around. Toronto had everything that I needed and everything I wanted.
SN: Was there ever a chance you might not come back?
PP: There was a small chance just because I wanted to test the waters and see what my worth was to other teams out there in the league. A couple of teams offered good deals and solid situations for me. But being in a situation where I already knew everyone—being around Kyle, Chuck [Hayes], Greivis [Vasquez], DeMar and coach Casey, who I have a relationship with that goes back to Kentucky—I felt the most comfortable. With all of that on the table and all of that being said, it made my decision a lot easier to make.
SN: With the benefit of hindsight, has your opinion or impression of the city or the Raptors organization changed from the moment you heard about the trade that landed you here?
PP: It’s night and day. I’m not going to sit here and lie. When I initially heard about the trade—since I didn’t know anything about Toronto or the situation—of course I was unhappy. The only thing I knew was it was in a different country and it’s cold. I was a little frustrated and upset because I had to uproot from where I’m at in America and move to another country. But as the year went forward, being around the guys that I’d already known, the success that we had, me being more comfortable with the guys, it just felt good being here. Now, I love it here. I love the city of Toronto; I love the fans. We have some of the better fans in the NBA, and the best supporters around us in the NBA. It’s a great place. I feel like more guys should want to come here. They probably all feel the same way about the city and the organization that I did when I first got traded. They don’t want to come out of the U.S., they don’t want to be far away from family and they don’t want to endure the cold. But if you actually live here and you’re around all this great atmosphere—the great people, the food, the sports and everything the city has to offer—your mindset will completely change.
SN: How much did you talk to your teammates in the summer about the team’s goals going forward and how to accomplish them?
PP: We’re going to hold ourselves accountable this year. We feel like we’re not going to win games easy this year because teams are going to gun for us. There’s going to be an ‘X’ on our back just because of the success we had last year. So we know every single game—on the road or at home—or even at practice or any type of workout, we have to play hard. Teams are going to be after us.