Rajakovic’s stability, optimism rewarded by Raptors

This story is about Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković and his near-term future, however first, a memory.

There was a time, not all that way back, when Nick Nurse appeared like he could possibly be the pinnacle coach in Toronto for so long as he wished the job.

He had an NBA title on his resume from the Raptors’ epic 2018-19 run, he led the crew to a franchise-best successful share the yr following regardless of the departure of Kawhi Leonard — incomes well-deserved coach-of-the-year recognition within the course of — and after the 2020-21 ‘Tampa Tank’ Nurse helped spark the Raptors to a 48-win season and their seventh playoff look in eight years.

He had cameos on CBC exhibits your grandparents may watch, rocked out with The Arkells, and modelled baseball hats along with his initials on them to assist increase funds for his charitable basis.

But the NBA is a capricious, ever-evolving beast, and issues change quick. By the tip of his fifth season Nurse appeared decided to hunt greener pastures: “I’m going to take a few weeks to see where I’m at, you know?” Nurse said, exactly two years ago before he led the Raptors against the Sixers late in the 2022-23 season. “…Where my head’s at. And just see how the relationship with the organization is and everything.”

By the time the cut up grew to become official just a few weeks later, all sides might agree on a minimum of one factor: they have been every comfortable about it.

Nurse rapidly latched to a brand new job with the Philadelphia 76ers, the place it regarded like he might routinely compete for championships.

Things have not labored out as deliberate. The Sixers have been one-and-done within the playoffs final yr, and quite than main a parade down Broad Street, Nurse and the 76ers are tanking as exhausting because the Raptors ever did, hoping to salvage a top-six protected draft choose (Philadelphia owes its choose to Oklahoma City if it finally ends up being seventh or past) out of a disastrous season obliterated by harm.

The Raptors, led by Rajaković, Nurse’s successor in Toronto, have definitely carried out their half so as to add to the Sixers’ distress or assist their draft place: with their 127-109 win in Philadelphia Sunday evening, Toronto improved to 4-0 this season in opposition to Nurse’s membership. Toronto was led by RJ Barrett, who completed with 31 factors, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Rookies Ja’Kobe Walter (17 factors, eight rebounds) and Jamison Battle (16 factors and 7 rebounds) additionally impressed.

The Raptors received their fourth straight, enhancing to 28-47 earlier than travelling to Chicago Tuesday to tackle the Bulls. Toronto has the seventh-best lottery odds with a three-and-a-half recreation cushion on the San Antonio Spurs, who’ve the eighth-best odds. The Sixers (23-52) would have the fifth-best odds if the season have been over right this moment.

But even because the Raptors are set to overlook the playoffs for the second straight yr beneath Rajaković, there’s a sense of stability, optimism and even buoyancy across the crew. 

A giant motive is Rajaković himself, because the espresso aficionado has one way or the other been capable of get his roster to purchase in on particular person enchancment and team-wide effort and execution, even whereas fulfilling the organizational mandate to make use of this season as a possibility to nab as excessive a draft choose as possible.

It’s what the Raptors have been hoping for once they employed the extremely regarded veteran coach from Serbia who had beforehand labored as an assistant in Oklahoma City, Phoenix and Memphis. There was a query about his lack of head teaching expertise in North America, save for 100 video games with Oklahoma City’s G League crew a decade earlier than, however over time doubts have fallen away, one after the other.

It’s why, Sportsnet has realized, the Raptors quietly reached out to Rajaković through the low season and picked up the fourth-year crew choice on the ‘three-and-one’ contract he signed with Toronto in the summertime of 2023.

The determination went beneath the radar partly as a result of it’s uncommon a crew workouts their choice on a contract two seasons forward of time, and even much less so when a first-year coach is coming off a 25-57 season. But it spoke to the group desirous to be a very good religion accomplice heading right into a rebuilding season and likewise the idea that Rajaković had proven he was the precise individual to assist them pivot in direction of being aggressive once more earlier than later.

“The players respect him. He works well with the front office, the team has gotten better,” mentioned one supply. “He’s a serious guy. He’s building a program here. Darko’s a dude.”

Or, extra merely, as Raptors’ cornerstone Scottie Barnes put it once I requested him about Rajaković earlier this season: “Man, Darko, the GOAT (Greatest of All Time).”

It speaks to the magic trick Rajaković has one way or the other been capable of conjure up: demanding accountability and energy, with out the promise of successful.

“He’s managed to walk an incredibly fine line,” mentioned one supply near Rajaković. “It’s easy for things to go the other way in a situation like this. When you’re coaching a team like the Celtics there is one set of expectations and when it’s the Wizards there’s another, but at least everyone knows what they are. To get players — young guys and veterans alike — to buy in on what the Raptors are trying to do is remarkable.”

Now, it’s a bit early to anoint Rajaković as coach for all times: The man hasn’t known as a timeout in a playoff recreation but. But the 46-year-old is in with each toes if he will get the prospect.

“My personal opinion is that in order to have sustained success, not just success, sustained success, you need to have continuity in the work,” Rajaković mentioned once we spoke lately. “And I feel that is essential from a entrance workplace, from the roster, from the teaching employees you’ve got — I feel all of these components are crucial in constructing a crew that is going to be sustained for a very long time and to have lots of success.

“So definitely, if you asked me today, tomorrow I’m going to sign a 10-year contract extension. I love the city. I love the people. We have the best fans in the world. I’m absolutely thrilled for the opportunity to build something very special here.”

But even having the ultimate yr of his contract picked up was a welcome sign that Rajaković and the entrance workplace have been in alignment, and it’s made what might have been a troublesome season — the Raptors misplaced 16 of 17 video games at one level — a shared train in bigger-picture considering.

It’s not at all times the best way for coaches when the losses mount early of their careers. Rajaković is the second Serbian (and European) head coach in NBA historical past. The first was Igor Kokoskov, a very good pal and mentor for Rajaković. Kokoskov has 24 years’ expertise as an NBA assistant coach, however he went 19-63 in his first season as a head coach with Phoenix in 2018-19, bought let go and hasn’t gotten a head teaching alternative since.

Rajaković has handed by means of that gauntlet that coaches typically need to take care of early of their careers and can get two years to educate a crew that’s anticipated to compete for a post-season spot a yr from now.

“We are here in this together,” Rajaković informed me. “We know that this can be a course of. Obviously, I’ve utmost respect and belief in our entrance workplace and what we’re attempting to construct over right here. And I feel we’re good companions. We’re attempting to assist one another in each potential manner.

“I’m a soldier for the team. I’m going to do everything that is in the best interests of the organization, and it’s good knowing that you have trust from the front office as well.”

Rajaković has constructed his belief within the Raptors’ locker room alongside the best way. It’s typically mentioned that the important thing to teaching efficiently within the NBA is constructing robust bonds with star gamers. Publicly, Rajaković has been considered one of Scottie Barnes’ strongest advocates, however behind closed doorways, Rajaković has pushed Barnes exhausting, demanding extra of him as a frontrunner and defender.

For his half, Barnes appreciates it.

“He instills confidence in me each and every day, constantly having talks with me, being able to communicate with me (and) Darko challenges me all the time, challenges me to get better, I give him so much credit,” Barnes informed me. “He challenges me all the time to get better. To take more threes, be more aggressive, get to the rim more. He always challenges me, every single day in practice, to just keep working on something new and keep building on it… he challenges me, pushes me, motivates me. Great at communicating. He’s big for our team, and huge for me and my development.”

It’s the same theme elsewhere within the locker room. Last March, Rajaković made the hassle to attend the funeral for Immanuel Quickley’s uncle. Over the summer season, the Raptors level guard spent copious quantities of time along with his still-new head coach, attending the Olympics collectively in Paris and sharing a number of dinners through the crew’s casual coaching camp in Spain, constructing bonds to maintain the ups and downs of an 82-game season.

“That’s probably one of the coolest things, like I’ve ever done with a coach, it was just me and him,” Quickley mentioned, referring to the time he and Rajaković spent in Paris collectively. “Like, coach Thibs [Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau], I don’t think we spoke any words between us outside of basketball, outside of that facility, Darko cares about more than just basketball, he cares about the individual and for the team, he’s very straightforward and he understands his players. He just cares.”

But the job additionally requires with the ability to assist groups win video games, and given the parameters (play kids, play exhausting, play nicely however no must chase a play-in spot), Rajaković has proven his course of can yield outcomes.

After ending final season on a 2-19 skid and beginning this one 8-31, Toronto is now 20-16 since Jan. 12. And whereas taking part in the NBA’s best schedule has clearly helped — of their final 20 wins, 11 have come in opposition to the six groups under them within the standings and 6 extra have come in opposition to groups which are under .500 — the Raptors have been quiet tanking too by routinely resting their starters and limiting their minutes in different instances.

For the season, they rank third within the quantity of minutes performed by rookies, and the one first-rounder amongst that crop is Walter, the nineteenth general choose who has missed 27 video games because of harm. And — all caveats apart — the Raptors are tied for second in defensive score over practically a half-season’s value of video games, which appears preposterous given Toronto was twenty eighth in defensive score by means of their first 39 video games.

“And the habits he’s been able to build in this team over the summer and throughout this season, it’s been amazing,” Raptors veteran Garrett Temple informed me. “You talk about player development… defensively, we’ve worked on so many things, nuances I’ve never seen before. And he knows how to talk to guys to get their mindset and their competitive spirit to switch on.”

The stakes promise to be a lot greater subsequent season. With the acquisition of veteran former all-star Brandon Ingram and the $120-million contract extension he subsequently signed, the Raptors’ projected beginning 5 subsequent season will earn $149.4 million collectively and have a median age of 27.6. This is why nabbing a top quality prospect within the draft lottery this season is so vital. To the extent the Raptors are rebuilding this season, it will likely be over save for portray and window trimmings by coaching camp subsequent season.

Rajaković will then face a brand new problem: Helping a crew compete and win within the current, not in within the hazy future.

The Raptors have given him the added contract safety and the runway to present him the prospect to just do that.