The first day of Toronto Raptors training camp is in the books in Halifax.

While there was a lot of focus on what the team needs to do to be successful this year, all eyes were on rookie Jonas Valanciunas after the team’s first practice.

It was a frustrating morning for the big Lithuanian, who spoke to the media with a bag of ice taped to his strained left calf – an injury he suffered during voluntary workouts on Sept. 22.

“Right now I feel bad because I see those guys running down the floor and I want to run with them so it’s kind of hard, but I’ll be OK,” he says.

Valanciunas is trying to stay positive.

“This year is my first year in the NBA and I’m really excited to be here and see what I can do in this league,” he says.

Head coach Dwane Casey says Valanciunas did some exercises, and participated in a shortened practice.

There’s no timetable for the center’s return but Casey hopes to have him on the court by the end of the week.

“We’re not in a hurry,” explains Casey. “He’s doing a great job of paying attention to all the stuff we’re doing. The number one thing for him is to learn the terminology. He knows the actions defensively, but he’s just got to learn the terminology and he’s doing a good job with that.”

We’re already starting to get a glimpse of what this year’s team will look like.

Casey says we can expect an up-tempo pace.

“We’ve got to do a better job of running the floor instead of just walking it up,” he says. “Second, we’ve got to utilize the three.”

He hopes to have a solid rotation of eight or nine players when the season starts.

Point guard Kyle Lowry is expected to be one of those guys and Casey says he’s already making his presence known.

“He holds guys accountable and that’s something that we need,” explains the coach. “He does it in a respectable way and at the end of the day he can produce and get it done on the court as well.”

Casey says having a true center like Valanciunas is important for the success of the team, but adds that’s more for defense than for offence.

When Valanciunas does hit the court, he knows who he wants to face off with.

“Dwight Howard. He’s the best center in the league, so I want to try him.”