The Toronto Raptors are just 28-57, good for 11th in the Eastern Conference standings.
It’s not a win-loss record that sparkles and glistens. Yet, they’re just 5.5 games behind the ninth-place Chicago Bulls and 10th-place Miami Heat. Thus, the Raptors actually in postseason contention with seven games remaining in the regular season, as the ninth- and 1oth-place teams from each conference qualify for the Play-In Tournament.
Raptors Pick Up Darko Rajakovic’s 2026-27 Option
On the one hand, a team with Scottie Barnes as the centerpiece probably should be in the playoffs. The fourth overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Barnes is a point-forward that impacts the game in every conceivable way. Last season, the Florida State product earned the first All-Star selection of his career.
With that being said, Barnes is just 23 years old. RJ Barrett, who leads the team in scoring (21.5 points per game) and is second in assists (5.6 per game), is just 24 years old. Immanuel Quickley, 25 years old, has been limited to 30 games this season due to injury. Brandon Ingram, who’s a bit older than them 27 years old, has just joined the fray. However, Ingram’s yet to make his team debut due to an ankle injury he sustained in early December.
All the while, the scrappy Raptors have earned the respect of their opponents. They’ve improved individually and collectively as the season has progressed. In fact, they’ve gone 11-9 since the All-Star Break.
It’s no wonder that Toronto has already picked up the 2026-27 option on Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković’s contract, per Sportnet’s Michael Grange.
Continuity Is Key
Discussing the importance of continuity and the idea of remaining with the Raptors of the foreseeable future, Rajaković says:
“My personal opinion is that in order to have sustained success, not just success, sustained success, you need to have continuity in the work. And I think that’s important from a front office, from the roster, from the coaching staff you have — I think all of those ingredients are very important in building a team that’s going to be sustained for a long time and to have a lot 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.”
“I’m a soldier for the team,” he adds. “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.”
Given his coaching background, Rajaković is very familiar concept of long-term development.
He knows that players can’t be expected to sharpen their games overnight. It’s always possible that something clicks for them rapidly, but it’s usually a more step-wise process. With that in mind, there are times when a player appears to be ready to move on to the next challenge. Then, they regress or revert back to old habits.
There’s an art to coaching but it’s not an exact science.
Confidence, Care, Competitiveness
Musing about Rajaković’s influence on his career, Barnes says: “He instills confidence in me each and every day… he challenges me, pushes me, motivates me. Great at communicating. He’s big for our team, and huge for me and my development.”
Quickley opines that Rajaković “cares about more than just basketball, he cares about the individual and for the team, he’s very straightforward and he understands his players.”
Raptors elder statesmen Garrett Temple would like to add that “the habits (Rajaković has) been able to build in this team” have “been amazing.”
“You talk about player development… defensively, we’ve worked on so many things, nuances I’ve never seen before” says the 38-year-old. And he knows how to talk to guys to get their mindset and their competitive spirit to switch on.”
With so many testimonials, Rajaković is clearly what people would consider to be ‘a player coach.’ However, the pillars that he’s building his program on is the real story. No matter what offense or defense is being run, confidence, caring, and competitiveness are integral to the success of any player or team. By emphasizing those intangibles, he’s been able to coax out a lot of potential.
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