Most fans would describe the Toronto Raptors’ 2023-24 season as tumultuous, even chaotic, with a series of trades significantly remaking the roster and then a raft of injuries and other challenges directly contributing to a 15-game losing skid.
But head coach Darko Rajakovic’s lasting memory of this lost season will be how, through it all, the team stuck together.
“We were dealt some really tough cards this season and it was easy to point fingers and say it’s his fault, my fault, his fault, her fault and I think we as an organization, every part of the organization stayed together and understood what we were going through,” Rajakovic said on Tuesday at his season-ending news conference. “We understand the only way that we’re going to build is by doing that, by being on the same page and being together.”
On June 13, Rajakovic was named Toronto’s next head coach. At an outdoor news conference, team president Masai Ujiri emphasized that Rajakovic’s goal was to transform the Raptors’ culture.
Over the season, more than just the culture shifted. On December 30, Toronto dealt OG Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa to the New York Knicks in exchange for Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett of Mississauga. On January 17, the team pulled off a blockbuster trade to send all-star Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers. On February 8, Kelly Olynyk of Kamloops, British Columbia, and Ochai Agbaji were acquired by the Raptors from the Utah Jazz.
The injury bug struck hard in March, causing starting center Jakob Poeltl (torn ligament) and all-star forward Scottie Barnes (broken hand) to miss the remainder of
Due to all those absences, Toronto (25-57) lost 19 of its last 21 games of the season, which tied for the second-worst run of losses in team history (15 games in a row).
An unsatisfactory way to wrap out Rajakovic’s debut season as an NBA head coach.
“I doubt I could have predicted all that transpired when we were interviewing for the job a year ago, if you were to question me about this. Rajakovic grinned and remarked, “If you had asked [legendary NBA coach] Phil Jackson, he would have told you the same thing.” It was a season filled with many obstacles, several adjustments, a plethora of events occurring on the court, numerous trades, and numerous changes, in addition to uncontrollable off-court circumstances.
“But at the same time, it was an amazing opportunity to learn, to see how people react in those situations, to see how everybody is resilient in that process, and how everybody came together.”
Although Rajakovic credited the entire organization for sticking together through adversity, his players said his positivity was what held the team together.
Barnes said Rajakovic was the first person to call him after he had surgery on March 4 to repair a broken hand.
“He’s there for me. He’s gonna help me no matter what it is,” Barnes said. “He just always talks to me about how I can learn, how I can get better. He loves me and he cares for us.”
Barrett said Rajakovic started forging a relationship with him as soon as he joined the Raptors.
“I’ve gotten so close to Darko. He’s a coach that you can just talk to, honestly, about anything,” said Barrett, whose younger brother Nathan died on March 12. “A lot of our conversations sometimes have nothing to do with basketball. He checks on me a lot, for sure. I appreciate him in more than just a basketball sense.”
Similarly, Quickley said “the person part” is the biggest thing that he learned from Rajakovic, especially after the death of his uncle Shawn Hamilton on March 20.
As a coach, Quickley stated, “I think we probably talked more about off-the-court stuff than we do about basketball stuff.” However, he pays the utmost attention to detail when we discuss basketball. He also has an unmatched desire to work hard, look for ways to get better, and include the entire team.
The Raptors’ starting four players, Barnes, Poeltl, Barrett, and Quickley, only got to play together in seven of their games. They dominated Rajakovic’s offensive sets when they were all on the floor together.
“It appears to me that there is a great deal of potential and growth opportunities,” he stated after doing an eye exam. However, at the
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