Raptors speak highly of coach Darko Rajakovic after first season

It's been anything but easy for Darko Rajakovic in his first season running the Raptors' bench.

From injuries and key departures to long losing streaks and internal strife, undergoing a season as tumultuous as this one and still coming out the other side with players praising you should be an achievement unto itself.

Though the Toronto Raptors finished in 12th place in the Eastern Conference with a rough 25-57 record, Rajakovic certainly wasn't the point of concern for many of the players and they pointed out his positivity in particular at the team's end-of-season media day on Monday.

"The things I appreciate the most are generally his positivity throughout the season. As much on the court as he is off the court," centre Jakob Poeltl said. "His basketball philosophy and attention to detail. We see eye-to-eye on a lot of things there.

"With a challenging season, those are the things that stuck out to me where I thought he did a really good job. Hopefully, with time and more luck as far as injuries and stuff go, we can really show it on the court as well."

Rajakovic's reactions to events throughout the season likely stuck with some fans.

Following a foul-riddled game against the Lakers in January, Rajakovic made headlines with a viral rant, laying into referees pointing out a disparity in foul calls. He also called Scottie Barnes an all-star and the future face of the league.

Then, when a promise he made to the team for a pizza party became public, it became a lighthearted rallying cry in an otherwise rough season. The pursuit of a three-game win streak finally came to a head as they strung together three wins in late February, forcing the coach to splurge on dinner for the team.

Those kind-hearted gestures and ways of easing the load on the team stuck and have helped his relationship with the players grow over the course of the season.

"It evolved tremendously," Barnes said about his relationship with Rajakovic. "He's a great person to talk to off the floor, a great person to talk to on the court. He listens and I listen to him.

"I see how he cares for each and every single player. He cares for me a lot."

His availability and readiness to talk about things other than basketball was also a big plus for some of the Raptors players, with that openness even garnering him some lofty comparisons.

Poeltl, who was dealt to the Raptors at last year's trade deadline, spent the better part of five seasons under legendary coach Gregg Popovich in San Antonio, and said that he sees similarities in the way they relate to their players.

"He's the type of person that will always make himself available to talk to you or for you to come talk to him. Basketball-related or with personal struggles you might have," Poeltl said. "In that aspect, him just being so open and available there is something I've seen from Pop in the past."

"Pop had this ability to be very serious about basketball but then also was able to get away from basketball and talk about something completely different. He always understood that we're here to play basketball, but there are other things going on in the world. Bigger issues in the world than the game of basketball. Him being able to put that into perspective over and over again is something that I see, where you don't just have to talk to Darko about basketball every day. ... He's generally a nice person as well, and the more time I spend with him the more I'm getting to know him in that aspect."

According to the players, Rajakovic has also been proactive in reaching out to players when they might need it.

Barnes said that the first call he received after getting surgery on his hand was from the coach. Notably, RJ Barrett touched on how much Rajakovic has reached out to him this season from the pressures of being dealt to Toronto and through the passing of his younger brother.

"I've gotten so close to Darko since I've gotten here," Barrett said. "He's a coach you can just talk to honestly about anything. A lot of our conversations sometimes have nothing to do with basketball.

"He checks on me a lot. I appreciate him in a lot more than just a basketball sense."