Darko Rajakovic reveals Raptors identity going into season

Raptors want to start everything on defence

The Raptors finished last season with a defensive rating of 114.9, which ranked 17th in the NBA. Things could be worse, but the Raptors hope to have things improve on that end of the floor.

Rajakovic believes the Raptors will be better on defense this season.

"We have a lot of guys that are very willing defensive players and we’re keeping the standard so high that everybody else is rising to the task," Rajakovic said via Finlayson.

"To be honest with you I don’t see a weak link for us defensively this year and I’m not going to look at any player on this team to give him a free pass because the defence is not at the level that we expect. I’m going to keep everybody accountable to the highest standards on the defensive end.”

Every team in the top half of the league in terms of defensive rating made the playoffs last season, so it's important to have a great defense. The Oklahoma City Thunder had the NBA's No. 1 defense last season with a rating of 107.6, which was nearly two points better than any other team in the league.

If the Raptors want to be one of the best teams in the league, they should strive to be one of the top 10 when it comes to defensive rating. That should guarantee that they will win enough games to reach the playoffs.

The Raptors' road to the postseason begins tomorrow when they travel to Georgia to take on Trae Young, Kristaps Porzingis and the Atlanta Hawks. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET inside State Farm Arena. Fans can watch the game on TSN Sports or stream it on NBA League Pass.

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