Rajakovic hiring gives little indication of where the Raptors are heading

TORONTO – The Raptors have finally showed their hand, but only to the extent that they’re ever willing to show their hand.

For nearly two months, their coaching search was one of the NBA’s most closely guarded secrets.

After dismissing Nick Nurse at the end of a turbulent 2022-23 season, Toronto conducted preliminary interviews with more than a dozen different candidates. Leaks were few and far between throughout, as is the organization’s way, and even as the process developed into its final stages over the past couple of weeks, a consensus favourite never emerged.

Team president Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster presided over an extensive, wide-ranging hunt, leaving insiders around the league to wonder what they were looking for and what was taking so long.

Answers came late on Saturday afternoon when ESPN was the first to report the hiring of Darko Rajakovic. TSN can confirm that Rajakovic will become the franchise’s 10th head coach, with contract terms still being finalized and an official announcement expected soon.

From the little we know about the process, it’s not hard to see what made him stand out above the rest. The 44-year-old checks off several boxes for a team looking to re-stabilize after missing the playoffs in two of the last three seasons.

The Raptors were never believed to be considering the more established names on the market. They wanted to find the next great coach, somebody who fit the organizational ethos and could grow with the team.

There’s an inherent risk to hiring any first-time NBA head coach. You can do your due diligence, hold interviews and check references – which is the answer to: “what have they been up to over the past seven weeks?” – but you never really know how somebody will fare under the pressure of being the primary play-caller at this level until they go through it firsthand. But for a rookie head coach, Rajakovic comes with a wealth of experience, which may help alleviate some of that risk.

Rajakovic started coaching in his native Serbia at the age of 16. Nearly three decades and several stops later, he’s paid his dues. He spent a couple years coaching in Spain. He worked as a scouting consultant for the San Antonio Spurs during their Tim Duncan-led championship heyday of the early 2000s. He became the G League’s first-ever head coach born outside of North America when he took a job with the Oklahoma City’s affiliate in Tulsa, and he’s served as an assistant in the NBA with the Thunder, Phoenix Suns and most recently the Memphis Grizzlies.

Speaking to people who have worked with Rajakovic, especially in Memphis over the past three seasons, one of the first things that comes up is his knack for player development. By all accounts, he’s been instrumental in the growth of Desmond Bane, the Grizzlies’ breakout third-year guard, as well as 23-year-old big man Jaren Jackson Jr., the NBA’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year.

If there was an area of emphasis for Ujiri when he addressed the media after the Nurse firing and before the coaching search began it was the lack of development at the backend of the Raptors’ roster in recent years, as well as the need to rediscover the culture he watched slip away last season. Look no further than the two teams currently competing for a championship, the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat, both of which feature a collection of home-grown talent and boast established organizational cultures. That those clubs are led by two of the NBA’s four longest tenured coaches in Michael Malone (who’s been in Denver since 2015) and Erik Spoelstra (who’s in his 15th season at the helm of the Heat) isn’t a coincidence.

Given what was at stake and the importance of getting this hire right, it’s hard to blame the Raptors for taking their time. This is a big offseason for the organization, with the 13th pick in the June 22 draft, three rotation players (Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr. and Jakob Poeltl) hitting free agency the following week, and another two going into contract years with uncertain futures (Pascal Siakam and O.G. Anunoby). Finding a head coach who can navigate them through all that was a crucial first step.

But what comes next? If you were hoping that the coaching decision would be an indicator of their intended direction you might be left disappointed.

Had they brought in a veteran coach – somebody like Mike Budenholzer, Doc Rivers or Monty Williams, before he signed his mega deal with Detroit – it would’ve been safe to deduce that they were planning to contend in the near future. Whereas, hiring a younger coach with less experience than the well-travelled and highly regarded Rajakovic may have made more sense in a retooling scenario.

But one of the things the Raptors like about Rajakovic is that he gives them some flexibility in choosing a path, and for better or for worse, this is a front office that values flexibility. If free agency doesn’t go as planned or they decide to pivot and rebuild around Scottie Barnes, they believe Rajakovic is the right guy to work with and bring out the best in a young team. If they keep their veteran core together, or add to it, they’re confident that Rajakovic’s experience and expertise have prepared him to lead a competitive team.

He’s not just a player development guru; he’s been around winning teams and winning players his entire career. In his nine seasons as an NBA assistant coach, his teams have only finished below .500 once. Over the past couple decades he’s worked with the likes of Duncan, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Ja Morant and Nikola Jokic, who he coached as a member of the Serbian national team in 2019 (when they finished fifth at the FIBA World Cup). Those who know him best say he has the rare ability to relate to rookie second-rounders and superstars alike.

What his roster, or even his staff, will look like for next season remains to be seen. With the draft around the corner and the start of free agency shortly after that, there are still more questions than answers. The Raptors are at a crossroads without a clear path in front of them and with some possible roadblocks ahead. At least we finally know who will be at the wheel.