Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic experienced a roller coaster of a first season with the franchise.
There were a lot of personnel changes and Rajakovic had to adapt on the fly. However, all things considered, Rajakovic showed that he could connect with his players.
Now leading the charge in a rebuild, Rajakovic needs to develop Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. Similar to the situation with the Memphis Grizzlies, when Rajakovic was on Taylor Jenkins’ staff.
However, this rebuild is just getting started and more youth is on the way with the 2024 NBA Draft. When asked about his thoughts on the draft, Rajakovic was excited about the potential picks that Toronto has, via Aaron Rose of Sports Illustrated:
“Every team needs the same thing: it needs great players. That’s where I’m really excited (about) that flexibility that you were talking about and potential draft picks and all of that. Bobby and Masai are the best in the business and they do a really good job of evaluating the talent and putting the team together so I have absolute trust in in them that they’re going to build the best roster possible for us.”
When it comes to the specific needs of the team going into the offseason, Rajakovic mentioned a few things, per Rose:
“It’s size, it’s skill, it’s ability to cover multiple positions. It’s potentially a backup point guard.”
There is a lot of speculation on what the Raptors need heading into the draft and free agency. It ultimately boils down to surrounding Barnes, Quickley and Barrett with complimentary pieces to help them flourish.
Additionally, it is great to see Rajakovic embracing this challenge as a coach. When the team is constructed for the 2024-25 season, hopefully he can lead Toronto to a higher win total with new talent.
RJ Barrett & Jakob Poeltl praise Darko Rajakovic for people skills
An underrated part of the job for a head coach is connecting with players on a personal level.
In only one season, it seems like Rajakovic has the full support of his players with RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl praising his people skills.
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