Earlier today at Raptors practice, Darko Rajaković spoke to reporters ahead of Toronto’s season opener against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. During the brief media availability, Toronto’s head coach was asked about rookie Allen Graves, who got a two-game sample in during the 2026 preseason, and what Coach Darko took away from his performances — along with advice he’d give a newcomer adjusting to the faster pace of the pros.
“When players come, the first thing that they need to adjust is the speed of the game. For them at the beginning, the game is like happening at such a high speed and they need to slow down in order to understand what's going on around them. I think the most important thing is for players, for media, for everybody to understand that it's a process — it's not something that, you know, we're going to throw him out there and he's going to have all the answers. It's going to take time and the more he's focused on the process and not on outcome — I think that's going to really help him. That he understands that mistakes are going to happen and that's okay. Mistakes are part of this game,” said Darko Rajaković on October 19.
He further added: “[...] He’s got to understand that not every shot is going to go in and not every decision is going to be the right one. But, the big part of learning is to do more of good and do less of bad. You know, as you know, it sounds simple, but actually that's what it is. Sometimes you don't need to rush into things that's going to speed you up, and you're going to turn the ball over, and trying to make high-level plays. Sometimes you just got to slow down and allow the game to come.”
Raptors rookie Allen Graves is bound to face some bumps in the road at the next level ... but that's okay
Looking at Graves’ preseason sample, it’s easy to see what Darko Rajaković is referring to. Graves played in the first of the two Raptors–Knicks meetings on October 13, getting just over 15 minutes off the bench. He posted five points, three rebounds, and a steal, but struggled from the field, shooting 1-for-7 (including 1-for-6 from deep) and picking up four personal fouls.
Graves then got the starting nod in the Raptors’ final preseason game against Detroit on October 16. In just over 22 minutes, he put up nine points, eight rebounds (seven of them offensive), two assists, one steal, and one block. Again, his efficiency was a work in progress: he shot 4-for-13 from the field, including 0-for-5 from three.
Despite Graves’ appeal during the pre-draft and post-draft process as an analytics darling, he still seemed like a rookie who could benefit from a stint with the 905 or a gradual introduction to the Raptors’ rotation as the team figured out which pieces worked best together. I even noted a while back how I thought Graves was part of a new group caught in a internal battle for minutes.
Even as Graves struggled to shoot the ball and showed some growing pains in the preseason, I was still impressed by his willingness to stay active, trying to make winning plays, and sticking to that hard-nosed mindset — even if the on-paper results were mixed.
I didn’t lose my mind over his inability to find a shooting rhythm so soon, because he was still trying to impact the game in other ways. In this Raptors culture, that kind of effort has showed it can pay off in the long run. In fact, my Raptors Rapture colleague Chris Lambert touched on this in a recent piece, noting that if Allen Graves can stay on this trajectory while making the necessary shooting leap, he has all the makings of becoming another strong Raptors get.
Sure, I have minor worries about Graves’ shooting touch in its present form, like some concerns raised this offseason about his “slow” release or overly wide stance. But Coach Darko’s reminder ahead of the 2026–27 season keep things level-headed: adjusting to the NBA takes time, so we shouldn’t read too much into the challenges Graves faces as a rookie.
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