Latest news with #Rajaković
New York Times
16-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Darko Rajaković's soft skills are excellent, but can he nail the hard choices?
TORONTO — Do not confuse a person who has mastered 'soft' skills with a 'soft' person. In fact, knowing how to communicate effectively with a disparate group of people requires, on occasion, being acerbic or even aggressive. 'We were in a timeout and he really chewed me out in front of everybody,' Toronto Raptors rookie Ja'Kobe Walter said Monday of one late-season moment with head coach Darko Rajaković. Several players were chatting with the media after the end of a 30-52 season. 'He was saying I was being weak on the court. I wasn't being aggressive just because I got one shot blocked. He was saying I was soft. And then in that moment, it kind of turned me up. He saw that I went out there and I started playing defence crazy and all that. When he chews me out, he knows that it kind of lights a fire under me.' Advertisement It would be easy to see and listen to the mild-mannered, optimistic Raptors head coach, especially with the way he presents himself in front of cameras, and mistake him for a young coach who is afraid to rankle NBA talent. While he certainly doesn't have ex-Raptors coach Nick Nurse's penchant for criticizing specific players in public, the 'nice guy' perception is off. Sure, Rajaković cares about his players and will make uncommon gestures to let them know that. He will also light them up privately or in a team setting. 'Accountability is nothing else than the belief that the person can go to another level, that they can achieve something bigger and better,' Rajaković said on Tuesday. It's a mantra fit to put on a poster in an office, right next to the 'hang in there' kitty. However you define them, through two seasons, it is clear Rajaković has nailed the art of using soft skills to get through to his players. As demonstrated by the Raptors' defensive growth through the season, a clear offensive stylistic shift that has yet to produce results or the way his players talk about him, Rajaković's messages have resonated with the team. October 2025 will bring the tougher part: getting a flawed team with raised expectations to not just play cohesively but to play well. The Raptors' era of good feelings is coming to an end, soon to be replaced by the pressure to turn incremental growth into a significant leap in wins. For all the positivity, much of it justified, from this past season — a five-win jump from last year, the encouraging development of a quartet of rookies and a massive defensive improvement — there is still a question about how real any of it was. The Raptors feasted on a weak schedule down the stretch. They are the only team in the league that didn't win a single game on the road against an opponent that finished better than .500. They went 16-3 against the six teams that finished with a worse record than them and 14-49 against the 23 other teams. Advertisement With the addition of Brandon Ingram to a young core of players, there will be expectations for the Raptors to improve next season as older teams presumably fade. Whether that means making the top half of the Play-In or the top six will depend a lot on how the offseason goes, including what happens to the Raptors on the evening of the draft lottery. Unlike some other potentially ascendant teams in the Eastern Conference, the Raptors are not likely to have much flexibility to alter their roster this summer beyond the draft. They will be in a delicate dance with the luxury tax threshold. That doesn't have to be solved before next year's games begin, but it rules out a significant expenditure on out-of-organization talent. Barring a trade, the Raptors' roster will look familiar. As it happens, the Raptors finished 26th in offensive rating this year. They were not efficient in transition, but they ranked fifth in total points per game in transition, which means their half-court offence was largely a mess. With none of Barnes, Ingram or RJ Barrett likely to launch 3s at high frequency, the intricacy with which the Raptors must execute will have to be pinpoint. 'For me, the most important thing is going to be that we really need to make quick decisions,' Rajaković said. 'We cannot be holding the ball. We need to be making simple decisions and simple reads.' Barnes and Barrett have already bought in, while Ingram's last few years have been disappointing enough that he should be open to re-examining his game. He has at least averaged 4.9 assists per game in each of the last five seasons, so Ingram is not in any way a selfish player. He does tend to hold the ball, and that is something Rajaković is going to have to coach out of him. With wins and losses essentially incidental over the last season and a half, it has been difficult to judge Rajaković's in-game abilities. Their lineups were all over the place this year, thanks to meaningful injuries to nearly every player on the roster, including Ingram, who didn't play a game after his February trade to Toronto. Anecdotally, Rajaković seemed to be solid at creating open looks for his offensively deficient team when coming out of timeouts. And he is aggressive at using timeouts, even early in the game. Advertisement How that translates to a team that is really trying to win games instead of benching its best players with eight minutes left remains to be seen. 'I understand what coaches need to be successful. And he has all those attributes: the will to win, the time you have to spend in trying to be prepared,' Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley said. 'He's a step ahead of the game. He allows the players to lead the team as far as asking questions during the film (sessions). … He does a lot of little stuff. But I think also just like the in-game adjustments, he's really good at that.' 'I don't know if you guys have seen Darko's (after-timeout plays),' Barrett added, 'but (we) get a wide-open shot or we score every single time.' Rajaković's ability to keep the team together as they put together a disastrous first half of the season should be commended and appreciated. Real expectations, though, result in more pressure, and more angst when losses mount. If the Raptors are healthy, not every player who made a good impression this year will be able to play regularly. What if Rajaković decides it doesn't make sense to start all three of Barnes, Barrett and Ingram, preferring a low-usage glue guy to hold the first five together? Ochai Agbaji and Walter both had encouraging years, while Gradey Dick is just two seasons removed from being a lottery pick; there might not be room for all three in the rotation. With a core of young players who want to start winning, what happens if the Raptors hit on their draft pick, either in the top four or in the middle of the lottery, and need to mix that player's needs with that of the team's? None of those are simple scenarios, and none of them have been Rajaković's concern since the Raptors traded OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam in the middle of 2023-24. 'I want to have that problem,' Rajaković said. 'I want to have guys available. I want to have great players on the team, I want to be facing those decisions. I am not shying away from that. 'If I wanted to keep people happy, I would be selling ice cream. I would not be a basketball coach.'
New York Times
11-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Fitting Brandon Ingram into Raptors' offence will be Darko Rajaković's defining task
HOUSTON — On the evening of his first full day with his new team, Brandon Ingram sat in his stall in the visitors' locker room in Oklahoma City with a book cracked. Ingram was reading 'Stillness Is The Key' by Ryan Holiday, a book that preaches the Stoic concept of slowing down as the world spins on its axis of chaos. Good advice, in general. Advertisement Within Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković's offence, however, movement is the key. (A word of warning: Do not make this dad-adjacent joke upon your second meeting with Ingram. You will receive a pity laugh from the lanky star, for which you will feel fortunate. You'll feel a pang of regret more strongly. To be clear, that's how we guess that scenario would unspool.) 'Our basic core principles, how hard we want to play, especially on the defensive end, and our willingness to pass the ball and play without the ball on the offensive end (are things that are) universal,' Rajaković said initially when asked about Ingram's fit within the Raptors movement-heavy offence. 'Then when you have different types of players … you start adjusting and making the right decisions to help everyone on the court.' This is what Rajaković has been preaching since he became the Raptors' coach in June 2023. At that time, it was a reaction to the stagnant offence that featured far too many isolation possessions for the Raptors' talent. While he couldn't completely change the offensive identity of the Pascal Siakam/OG Anunoby/Scottie Barnes team he led for two months, he leaned into their offensive strengths in the post to create a workable, if unspectacular offence despite a notable lack of perimeter shooting. That team was likely heading for a breakup to start the year, though. Unless the Raptors got off to a great start, Rajaković was largely passing time until the rebuild started. With Ingram's arrival, the Raptors hope they are building something that will last. That makes incorporating Ingram, whenever he returns from his ankle injury and, more crucially, to begin next season, the defining challenge of the coach's tenure in Toronto. GO DEEPER Brandon Ingram is ready to start anew in Toronto: 'A change of scenery can be ... good' If Rajaković can blend Ingram's shot-making with the movement-centric attack the coach has been teaching, he could be in Toronto for a long time. If not, Rajaković —who has one more year on his contract after this one but could be in line for an extension — might have a hard time sticking around. Ingram's arrival heightens expectations, going from 'losses are lessons' to a desire to be functional and competitive. Figuring out how to marry Ingram's skills with Barnes' and RJ Barrett's strengths will go a long way in determining if the Raptors get there. Advertisement 'I think it's going to be a process. I think there's going to be a lot of work that we need to put in,' Rajaković told The Athletic at the University of Houston on Saturday. '(Ingram) is very open. He's very willing to accept what this team is doing. And he already started using his voice with the team and talking in the film sessions. He's opening up, which is great. I really respect that. 'All of us, we want the same thing. We want to win. And winning demands certain things. I think he will embrace that without any problem — ball movement and body moment. I think he's a very, very unselfish player. I think that he's a player that can see the court really well. And I think that's going to be the driving force for us when we get him on the court.' Before getting into the X's and O's, Ingram should help the Raptors solve their most glaring issue: half-court offence. The Raptors rank 22nd this year and 24th last year in the half court, according to Cleaning The Glass. To further drive that home, the Raptors rank just 23rd in offence when the scoring margin is within five points in the game's final five minutes or overtime, according to Not coincidentally, the Raptors' 6-16 record featuring 'clutch' situations is second to last in the league. A lot of that is simply not having a player who can create his own shot whenever he wants. Barnes prefers to pass, and his touch in traffic is poor for a player of his stature, despite a notable improvement this year from the short midrange. If Barrett doesn't get all the way to the paint, he prefers push shots to jumpers. His scoring efficiency is way down this year. Barnes is shooting 43.5 percent on 23 field-goal attempts in clutch situations, while Barrett is at 38.6 percent on 44 attempts. (He has also made just 13 of his 22 free throws in those situations, something that has to improve.) Immanuel Quickley's presence in just three of the Raptors' 19 games featuring clutch situations has not helped. Quickley is the Raptors' most dynamic shooting threat. Advertisement Ingram shot 48 percent on looks between 10 feet from the rim and the 3-point arc last year, an excellent number for tough shots. He doesn't live at the free-throw line, but he shot better than 80 percent when he got there every year he was with the Pelicans. 'He takes pressure off all of us,' Barnes said. 'Being able to score the ball, get downhill, teams got to respect him. He's a respected player in this league, and with all the things that he can do, he's gonna take pressure off RJ, gonna take pressure off me, gonna take pressure off (Quickley).' While Ingram has to be able to adapt, it will be on Rajaković to make things work. Assuming all three of Ingram, Barnes and Barrett are in Toronto to start next season, it could be a crowded ecosystem. Barnes can operate as a handler or screener in the pick-and-roll, but his poor shooting makes it tough to leave him away from the main action. Barrett is most effective when catching the ball off a handoff near the paint with a full head of steam. Jakob Poeltl, who rarely shoots from outside the key, is often setting those screens. Meanwhile, Ingram has a reputation as a ball-stopper, a player who prefers to survey the floor in front of him. He is not selfish: He has averaged more than 5.6 assists per game over the last four years. They just don't usually come in a Raptors-style manner. This year's Raptors rank fifth in passes per game, seventh in assists per game and third in potential assists. Last year, when Ingram played 64 games and Zion Williamson played 70, the Pelicans ranked fourth in passes made, but 13th and 16th in assists and potential assists, respectively. Last year, Ingram averaged more than four seconds per touch. After the three point guards who often take the ball up the court, Barnes leads the Raptors at 3.39 seconds per touch. The Raptors will want Ingram to speed up his processing. Advertisement 'Watching film with him, talking to him (about) what we're doing, watching his film, watching our film, getting him to understand what we're trying to achieve as a team,' Rajaković said of what he will do while Ingram remains out of the lineup. 'So there are going to be a lot of conversations there.' By acquiring Ingram, the Raptors made a bet on his talent, knowing they were getting a discount on the acquisition cost because of his pending free agency and injury history. The front office and the medical staff will have to do what they can on those fronts to make this work. There is an obvious question of fit, too, with Ingram coming to Toronto. It is on Rajaković to get through to Ingram, and to maximize the odds of the Raptors' bet hitting. (Top photo of Brandon Ingram: Alika Jenner / Getty Images)
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'It was a rough night': Raptors fall to Grizzlies as Ja Morant puts on an absolute show
TORONTO — Ahead of the Raptors' matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, head coach Darko Rajaković outlined a 'recipe for disaster' his team didn't want to fall to, like they had the last time they played Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. & Co. The Raptors would need to play solid transition defence, avoid second-chance points and limit Memphis' good shooting — all categories they're among the best at in the league. On Wednesday night, the Raptors couldn't avoid a similar fate, as the Grizzles proved why they sit second in the Western Conference, picking up a 131-107 win behind a combined 58 points from Jackson Jr. and Morant, who looked as good as any other player in the NBA. As a team, the Grizzles were too big, too strong and too fast, especially for a Raptors squad that was without three of its starters in R.J. Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and most importantly Jakob Poeltl. In turn, the outcome in Toronto gave Memphis its 10th win over the last 11 games. 'It was a rough night," said Rajaković. "I thought that first half, we did a really good job. … But in the second half they came back, and they were really dominating the glass, and it was really hard to catch up with them in transition." It was in the second half that the Grizzlies really blew the lid off the Raptors, outscoring them 85-48. Throughout that stretch, they scored 24 of their 29 total second chance points, while shooting 57 per cent from the field and 39% from three-point distance. The Raptors did manage to hold them to a below-average 14 fast break points. However, that didn't stop the Grizzlies from their run-and-gun style of play. When they missed, they cleaned it back up, with the team finishing with 60 points in the paint, while winning the rebounding battle 62-34, as the Grizzlies also collected 25 offensive rebounds. Ochai Agbaji, who was tied for a team-high 14 points (3-4 from distance) while coming off the bench, had a similar critique as Rajaković, saying their 'general effort to make the next play, to give extra effort on the boards, and to go track down loose balls and win 50/50 balls; I think that's where the game really got out of our hands.' The Raptors entered half-time up 59-53, but it was Morant who came back out with a vengeance, scoring 12 points in the opening six minutes of the frame. He would score 16 (5-7 from the field) of his 26 points in the third quarter, helping the Grizzles go up by double-digits, as he made dazzling play-after-play as both a scorer and playmaker. that's a DIME 👀🙌@JaMorant ➡️ @jaylen_wells 📺 @FDSN_Grizzlies — Grind City Media (@grindcitymedia) February 6, 2025 JA MORANT IS ON FIRE IN TORONTO 🔥 — Grizz Lead (@Grizz_Lead) February 6, 2025 gliding ✈️@JaMorant | @FDSN_Grizzlies — Grind City Media (@grindcitymedia) February 6, 2025 What makes Morant so tough to guard, says Agbaji, is his ability to get in the paint to provide paint touches for his team, while allowing them to play with a fast and free pace both in the half court and in transition, as he always finds a way to get downhill. Rajaković says that Canadian rookie Zach Edey is doing a great job of playing with Morant. Standing at a 'huge' 7-foot-3, Edey is using his size well in pick-n-rolls. It's a lot for an opposing defender to go over the screen, says Rajaković, while noting that if you go under, it creates a lot of space for Morant to get downhill. Probably not gonna see this at the local YMCA 🙃Ja Morant ➡ 11.2 FPTs after the — NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy) February 6, 2025 The Raptors head coach also credited Edey's positioning following the initial action, saying that he does a great job staying in the lane to put himself in an opportunity for second-chance opportunities. It helped the Toronto-native, who played his first NBA game in Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday, finish the night with 13 points and 14 rebounds, which included five on the offensive glass, tied for a game-high. 'it was real cool, real cool. before tip off, kinda looked around, took it all in.' @zach_edey on returning to his hometown 🙌@MyMikeCheck — Grind City Media (@grindcitymedia) February 6, 2025 Another massive presence tonight was Jackson Jr., who finished with a game-high of his own with 32 points in 28 minutes, while shooting 10-16 from the field and 4-5 from distance. Jackson Jr. proved why he's an all-star, as he bullied the Raptors on a consistent basis, getting to the rim with ease as a ball handler who started his attack out beyond the arc. Without Poeltl, there was no one big enough to take on Jackson Jr., even though Scottie Barnes tried his best, as he recorded two of his three blocks against the 6-foot-10 power forward. Outside of that, there wasn't much to celebrate in terms of the Raptors' boxscore, as no starter finished better than a -18 plus/minus, while the bench was outscored (and outmatched) 55-44. On the highlights front, there was Gradey Dick's two-hand reverse alley-oop slam, marking the second time in three games he's pulled it off. BOO-YAH ‼️ — Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) February 6, 2025 With the loss, it's also the last-time we see this iteration of this Raptors squad, as the NBA's trade deadline is set for Thursday, Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. Hours after Wednesday's matchup, the Raptors reportedly traded for Brandon Ingram, in a deal that sends Bruce Brown Jr., Kelly Olynyk, one first-round pick and one second-rounder, to the New Orleans Pelicans, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. The Raptors might not be done, with Davion Mitchell, Garrett Temple and the Raptors' longest-serving player, Chris Boucher, all in their contract year. Boucher is reportedly a key trade target for the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets, while Poeltl — who has 3 years left on his contract — is reportedly of interest to the Los Angeles Lakers. Throughout the game, it was reported that NBA veteran Kyle Anderson would be making his way to the Raptors in the Jimmy Butler trade, but that fell through. While the NBA is no stranger to dramatic trades and headlines, it's still a lot for players to wrap their heads around. 'It's always a thing in this league. Now, going to my third year, times like this kind of feel a little weird,' said Agbaji, who was traded last year to the Raptors. 'But you know, as professionals, we're expected to do our jobs and to just perform at a high level no matter what, whether it's on this team or another, it's just the business of things and that's how it is.' Whoever suits up for Toronto following the deadline, they'll have their sights set on the best team in the Western Conference, as the Raptors get ready to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, Feb. 7. They'll look to get bak in the win column, after losing back-to-back games following a stretch where they won eight of their last 10.
New York Times
05-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Raptors are becoming the team Darko Rajaković promised to deliver
TORONTO — Midway through the fourth quarter at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday night, the darndest thing happened: The fans started an earnest, enthusiastic 'Let's go, Raptors' chant. It's not that this was happening for the first time this season, but it felt like it was the loudest such cheer. No single play inspired it: Rookie point guard Jamal Shead was zooming out in transition, Gradey Dick hit a couple of big 3s, and Jonathan Mogbo, sent to Raptors 905 for an extended stint recently, was making defensive plays at the rim. Advertisement As the New York Knicks lagged on the rough end of a back-to-back, the Raptors slowly cut into a 17-point lead that had ballooned to 23 at one point. Without injured starters RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl, head coach Darko Rajaković rolled with a small-ball lineup down the stretch — one that included three rookies (from a historically weak NBA Draft, according to scouts, experts and early statistical returns), a sophomore and Scottie Barnes as the veteran glue. Simply, the fans appreciated how the Raptors were playing. The Raptors lost 121-115. The Knicks had an All-Star guard in Jalen Brunson. Meanwhile, the Raptors' highly paid guard, Immanuel Quickley, is on a minutes restriction after a groin injury. But as the largely anonymous lineup tried to scrap together a comeback, it was hard not to admire the promises about the team's culture that head coach Darko Rajaković has made: His team will play hard, unselfishly and won't give up on games. OCHAI AGBAJI. DENIAL. 🚫 — NBA TV (@NBATV) February 5, 2025 'The last 10 games, I would say we've been pretty locked into how we're supposed to be playing,' Garrett Temple told The Athletic. 'That second half was really how we want to play, point blank, no matter who's on the court. I think the biggest thing with that closing lineup is that those guys are developing. They're understanding how we want to play. They're trusting what Coach and the coaching staff has put out there, and they're developing. They're getting better as NBA players, which is all you can ask for.' The Raptors are, more often than not, moving the ball, running whenever possible and scrapping on defence. It isn't always textbook, but it's effortful, whether the majority of the team's veterans are available or not. It's what Rajaković promised. Advertisement It has been hard to know what to make of the Raptors' recent 8-3 run, during which they have matched their win total from the first 39 games. They have some schedule and injury luck, the same things that worked against them early in the season. Nothing they have done should radically alter the Raptors' plans before Thursday's trade deadline. When trying to figure out what the wins mean, though, it's best to zoom in, not out. Tuesday's game started with Dick, not known for his defence, pressing Knicks wing Mikal Bridges full court. After the game, Rajaković said the Raptors wanted to exert pressure on the Knicks, who played Monday, to tire them out throughout the game. The Knicks finished by scoring just 23 points in the fourth quarter, shooting 10-for-26 and earning no trips to the free-throw line. 'Just to see Gradey do it at the beginning,' rookie Ja'Kobe Walter said, 'that already gives us life.' Meanwhile, the game ended with Jonathan Mogbo, whose role has diminished as the Raptors have gotten healthier, guarding Karl-Anthony Towns, who feasted early in the night. Shead was on Brunson. Brunson made some shots, but Shead made him work. Mogbo and Shead were the 31st and 45th picks in last June's draft. 'It's really helpful,' Shead said of playing late in close games. 'Game experience is second to none. Just being out there, being able to guard people like Jalen Brunson. Those two games in Atlanta versus Trae (Young), I played a lot of minutes in those games. Just playing against that level of competition is going to raise your level.' So much energy this season has been spent wondering how many wins are too many for the Raptors. There will come a time when it's wise to shut things down for some of their more useful veterans. Poeltl has been dealing with a hip pointer for a few games, and those injuries can linger. He did not play in the second half. Barrett is in the league's concussion protocol, which offers only uncertainty. Advertisement In their absence, though, the Raptors leaned into any attempts at gathering floor burns. That matches the way they've played during their winning stretch — just with a little less proven talent on the floor against the Knicks, which was the difference. It will be the difference in some games in March. If the Raptors continue to play like this, it will be easy to accept. 'To be honest with you,' Rajaković said, 'I'm really proud of how we kept our composure during the whole game.' About 45 minutes after the game, Knicks assistant coach Daisuke Yoshimoto, who focusses on player development, shared a word with his counterpart on the Raptors, veteran coach Jim Sann. 'Man,' Yoshimoto said, 'you guys fought like crazy.' Night after night since 2025 started, the Raptors have earned that reputation. (Photo of Ochai Agbaji: Cole Burston / Getty Images)
