All eyes on Darko Rajakovic and the Raptors

The following is part of Raptors Republic’s preview series for the 2026-27 series. You can find all the other pieces here.

Head coach Darko Rajakovic will head into the fourth and most important season of his coaching career with the Raptors, as the Serbian head coach finally led Toronto to its first playoff appearance under his leadership. Can he make it back-to-back seasons and potentially take a step even further beyond this season?

After serving as an assistant coach beginning with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2014, a one-year stop in Phoenix during the 2019-20 season and then one final assistant role in Memphis until 2022-23, Rajakovic landed in Toronto once the franchise parted ways with former head coach Nick Nurse after the disappointing 2022-23 season, where Toronto finished .500 at 41-41 and were bounced out of the play-in by DeMar DeRozan and his daughter.

Darko took over in the 2023-24 season, when the core of OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell and Kyle Lowry was starting to fade as VanVleet left after the disappointing play-in exit. Powell was shipped off for Gary Trent Jr. during the Tampa Bay season, and Lowry was traded for Precious Achiuwa during the offseason after Tampa. Now all Rajakovic had was Anunoby, Siakam and a rising Scottie Barnes.

The writing was on the wall for the Raptors, with the core being chipped away after an 18-33 record heading into the trade deadline, infact Toronto decided to blow it up even before that, as their first trade came on December 30, when they traded away OG Anunoby, Malachi Flynn and Precious Achiuwa for Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and a 2024 second-round pick via Detroit, which ultimately ended up turning into Jonathan Mogbo. They held a record of 12-19 going into the day and were still in the playoff picture, but chose to kick-start a minor rebuild.

Just a few weeks later, Toronto also ended up parting ways with Pascal Siakam when they shipped him off to Indiana along with a second-round pick for Bruce Brown Jr., Jordan Nwora, Kira Lewis and two first-round picks. One was used in the deal for Brandon Ingram a year later; one of them turned into Ja’Kobe Walter. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that his first two seasons were below .400, but the front office decided to retool for year three.

Finally, last season Darko had his first winning year as a head coach when he led Toronto to a 46-36 record, good enough for fifth place in the Eastern Conference. Brandon Ingram played a big role in Toronto’s regular-season success as the leading scorer, and Scottie Barnes earned his second All-Star berth under the Serbian head coach. Darko is known for his energy in the locker room post-game after big wins and his passionate interviews at the presser, where he stands up for his players. Under his tenure, in-house guys like Jamal Shead, Jamison Battle and Ja’Kobe Walter have developed into solid rotation pieces. He even gave Sandro Mamukelashvili his first real shot at a role in the NBA, and after a really strong season, he signed a big multi-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. Sure, he’s had some questionable rotations at times, but which coach hasn’t? Another area of his game that is weak, and not totally up to him but to the coaching staff as a whole, is Toronto’s unsuccessful challenge rate.

Also heading into this season, Darko is faced with a tough challenge in deciding his rotations. Jakob Poeltl really struggled last season, and even though Collin Murray-Boyles is an undersized 5, does he make the switch mid-season if Poeltl continues to struggle? An easy replacement in the starting five is Kawhi Leonard for Brandon Ingram, and with the absence of Mamu, there is now a rotation spot up for grabs, which should go to Jamison Battle after a good showing against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs. He’s had some moments in the regular season too and is Toronto’s most reliable three-point shooter, but he’s yet to earn a consistent role so far as he heads into his third season in the pros.

The expectations will be as high as they’ve ever been for Darko, as even though Toronto made the playoffs last year, they really flew under the radar of most fans and analysts, and no one expected them to be a top-five seed in the Eastern Conference. Now that they have some regular-season success, along with a multiple-time NBA champion coming back to town, the minimum should be a playoff series win, potentially even more depending on who you ask. Just like 2019, a lot rides on the shoulders of Kawhi Leonard, and if he can stay healthy, that will be the biggest factor this season.

Rajakovic has been a polarizing figure for the fanbase, especially last season, and an even better year could help sway those who don’t believe in him at the moment. If we’re going off facts, he’s improved his winning record every season since coming to Toronto, and this season should be no different.