Darko Rajakovic is in the mists of his first season as a head coach in the NBA.
The Toronto Raptors hired Rajakovic on June 13 as he became the 10th coach in team history.
Before that Rajakovic spent many years as an assistant coach. He had stints with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies.
While he was with the Suns, Rajakovic got a chance to work with Devin Booker. Booker has since become one of the best NBA players in the league.
While Booker was talking about how Scottie Barnes and O.G. Anunoby impacted his rhythm he praised Rajakovic. Booker called him underrated:
I asked Booker about Anunoby and Barnes, and how they impact his rhythm. He credited them, but had high praise for Rajaković, who was an assistant coach in Phoenix in 2019. He later went on to call him “underrated”
“Darko knows what he’s doing over there. I’ve been a fan of him… pic.twitter.com/fAyg9KwMA1
— Bryan Meler (@BryanMeler) November 30, 2023
This isn’t the first time Rajakovic has received praise this season. San Antonio Spurs legendary coach Greg Popovich said Rajakovic is one of those ‘under the radar’ kind of guys.
Through 19 games this season there have been some ups and downs for Rajakovic. There have been moments where Rajakovic has made some questionable decisions. Whether it’s been some of his lineups or taking out Scottie Barnes in key moments of the game, Rajakovic has already received his fair share of criticism.
However, he has also done a great job and has coached the Raptors to some signature wins this season beating the likes of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers and his old team the Suns.
Rajakovic is already proving to be a brilliant coaching mind and he is starting to get a lot of credit from around the league.
Next up for Raptors
The Toronto Raptors will host the New York Knicks on Dec. 1. This will be the first meeting of the season between the two teams.
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