Darko Rajakovic is entering his second season as head coach of the Toronto Raptors.
Rajakovic called this year one of the Raptors rebuild and he wants to take a more “holistic approach” this season.
“Most important thing is not skipping steps. There are going to be some non negotiables…I’m going to keep everybody accountable, including myself, to develop,” he said.
For the Raptors this season will be a fresh start. The team went through some major changes last season and players were in and out of the lineup.
“This year we have a clean slate and we’re going to start to build our foundation,” Rajakkovic said.
One of the things Rajakovic will emphasis this season is defense, especially defending on the ball. The Raptors struggled mightily in that department, finishing 26th in defensive rating.
“Everything comes down to playing with a lot of effort and finishing possessions,” he said.
Another interesting thing to monitor as well will be Rajakovic’s rotation.
The Raptors fifth starter is still up in the air, although all arrows do point to Gradey Dick getting the nod as the team’s starting shooting guard.
Beyond that, player development will be at the forefront for this team.
Rajakovic said there will be times rookies will be in rotation, maybe starting and other times they will be with Raptors 905.
He stated that he wants them all to get opportunities, but training camp and preseason will determine where things stand with the rotation.
The Raptors drafted four rookies in Ja’Kobe Walter, Joathan Mogbo, Jamal Shead and Ulrich Chomche.
Walter was the Raptors first-round pick and he’s expected to get plenty of reps this season. Meanwhile, Rajakovic mentioned Mogbo and Shead when talking about players who can help the Raptors defensive woes from last season. Chomche seems more of a project, but he too should get some run with the main roster.
There is a lot Rajakovic is going to have to figure out. However, even though the Raptors are in a rebuild, improvement still needs to happen this season.
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