The Toronto Raptors finished the 2023-24 season with a franchise-record 2,335 assists.
New head coach Darko Rajakovic implemented his offense with the team which resulted in more ball movement.
This assists record led to a huge charitable donation made by Rajakovic and his wife Gaga on May 9.
Rajakovic and his wife announced that they are donating $46,700 USD to the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis and to the University Children’s Hospital in Belgrade, Serbia.
Rajakovic made a commitment to donate $20 USD for every assist the Raptors recorded this past season.
The Raptors head coach talked about he and his wife fulfilling their goal per a statement put out by the team:
“Gaga and I are thrilled to fulfill our goal of giving back to the communities that have given so much to us. The conversations we were privileged to have at each hospital were humbling and we continue to be inspired by the spirit and determination of the families impacted. Thank you to the incredible hospitals for their investments in improving children’s lives and we look forward to supporting and staying connected beyond today.”
Even though the Raptors had a down year, they were still one of the top teams in assists. Toronto averaged 28.5 assists per game this season, which ranked sixth-most in the NBA.
This was quite an improvement for the Raptors as they ranked 23rd in assists per game last season.
Toronto’s previous franchise record for assists in a season was 2,085 set in 2018-19.
Rajakovic was able to hit his goal with the Raptors after he made them play a more unselfish style of basketball. His offense was centered around ball-movement and did not rely on isolation-heavy sets.
Furthermore, this is a great accomplishment and gesture made by Rajakovic and his wife.
Latest mock draft has Toronto taking two shooters
Many mock drafts have been coming out as the 2024 NBA Draft is fast approaching.
In Sam Vecenie’s latest mock draft on the Game Theory Podcast, he and his co-host Bryce Simon have the Raptors taking two sharpshooters.
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