The Toronto Raptors finally finished one of the longest and most exhausting coaching searches in recent history, as they settled on former Memphis Grizzlies assistant Darko Rajakovic as their next leader. Looking at his resume, one might wonder why he has taken so long to earn this opportunity.
Rajakovic’s tenure in Memphis, in which he established himself as a master developer of young talent and an adherent to his own variation on Mike Budenholzer’s and Taylor Jenkins’ offensive system, was very impressive. He will try his best to duplicate that successful run in Toronto.
Adding players that he is familiar with will not only let Rajakovic’s vision come into full bloom, but it could help the roster get more in tune with his scheme and what needs to happen in order to succeed. As a result, Masai Ujiri might need to look into acquiring some Memphis players.
Be it a return package for a huge OG Anunoby trade, or a few trades here and there that aren’t as bombastic as an OG deal, Ujiri needs to make sure that some of these three Grizzlies end up joining Rajakovic in his new digs.
3 Grizzlies players Darko Rajakovic could bring to the Toronto Raptors.
3. PG Tyus Jones
In the Raptors’ ceaseless search for a backup point guard, they have missed multiple opportunities to land a player like Jones. With Memphis in a position to draft a point guard in the 2023 NBA Draft and Rajakovic’s assistance in moving the ball, he could try to tell Masai Ujiri to make this move.
Jones had one of the best scoring years of his career last year, all while ranking as one of the best point guards in the league when it comes to assist/turnover ratio. With or without Fred VanVleet, bringing Jones into the fold could help with this new-look Raptors offense.
Will Tyus Jones come to the Toronto Raptors?
Who better to help into Rajakovic’s offense than a player who has led one of the best bench units in the game and played a vital role in making sure Memphis kept winning games without Morant in the lineup? In terms of immediate fix, few players would be better than him.
Jones is not going to be given up lightly, though he could be mixed into an Anunoby trade alongside some of the other players on this list. Gone are the days of trying to peruse the bargain bin for point guards like the Raptors have been in the last few seasons.