The Toronto Raptors have made their feelings on Darko Rajakovic clear. After a breakthrough season, the organization is officially signing him to a multi-year extension.
Rajakovic helped build a winning culture
Rajakovic has been the head coach of the Raptors for three seasons. In that time, the team has gone 101-145. That may seem like an uninspiring record, but Rajakovic inherited a rebuilding team that was caught between timelines. He helped guide this team through a relatively short rebuild, but most importantly, he helped establish a strong locker room culture.
Each season with Rajakovic at the helm, the team showed improvement. Toronto went from winning 25 games to 30 games to 46 games in his three seasons.
Last season, despite being expected to be a play-in team, Toronto finished as the fifth seed and pushed the favoured Cavaliers to seven games in their first-round series.
Toronto’s front office trusts Rajakovic to guide this core to success
This extension shows a remarkable amount of faith in Rajakovic’s ability to guide this team to playoff success. Toronto just made an all-in move to trade away Brandon Ingram and multiple first-round picks for franchise icon Kawhi Leonard.
Leonard is 35 years old and has an extensive injury history. That trade was proof that the front office believes this core can make noise in the playoffs as early as next season. Giving Rajakovic this extension proves that the front office believes he is the right coach to turn that win-now gamble into postseason results.
Rajakovic’s success will now be evaluated based on how deep a playoff run Toronto is able to make. Even if Leonard is unhealthy, or there is a different reason for Toronto falling short, Rajakovic will shoulder much of the blame.
That being said, Rajakovic has proven that he knows how to build a winning culture. Now he must prove that he can make the necessary adjustments in critical games to win a big playoff series. Toronto has no reason to believe he cannot. But after this extension and the Leonard trade, Rajakovic is past the point of being graded on progress alone. Toronto needs results.
Add us as a preferred source on Google