{"id":650099,"date":"2026-05-05T20:59:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T20:59:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/650099\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T20:59:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T20:59:18","slug":"rajakovic-already-looking-ahead-to-next-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/650099\/","title":{"rendered":"Rajakovic already looking ahead to next season"},"content":{"rendered":"

TORONTO \u2013 As far as Darko Rajakovic is concerned, there is no off-season.<\/p>\n

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Rajakovic had his year-end news conference Tuesday morning at OVO Athletic Centre, the Raptors\u2019 dedicated training facility. Toronto\u2019s head coach said he had already sketched out his players\u2019 development plans for the summer well before the Raptors were eliminated from the NBA playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI already have 40, 50 per cent of my first team meeting ready for next year,\u201d said Rajakovic at the start of his news conference. \u201cProbably like two, three months ago, I started already planning the summer, planning the next season, starting making a bunch of notes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s an ongoing process. That never stops.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rajakovic was named Toronto\u2019s 10th head coach in June 2023 with a mandate to develop the team\u2019s young core of players built around 2022 rookie of the year Scottie Barnes.<\/p>\n

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The Raptors picked up the team option on Rajakovic\u2019s contract in March 2025, keeping him locked up through the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really never stops,\u201d said Rajakovic on his work to develop his players\u2019 skills. \u201cIt\u2019s constantly finding ways how to improve, how to get better, how to help players, how to stay in their corner.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a process that\u2019s underway now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although his emphasis has always been on helping young players like Barnes, RJ Barrett, Jamal Shead, Ja\u2019Kobe Walter and Collin Murray-Boyles improve, Toronto took a step forward in the 2025-26 campaign.<\/p>\n

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The Raptors had a 46-36 record in the regular season, improving Rajakovic\u2019s career record as a head coach in the NBA to 101-145, all with Toronto. They were the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, pushing the fourth-seed Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the first round of the playoffs.<\/p>\n

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After Toronto\u2019s Game 7 loss on Sunday, Rajakovic called the season \u201can absolute success\u201d but had a short list of things he wanted to see his team improve.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI think we did a good job this year with defence and the way we\u2019re guarding the ball but I think us having more paint protection is something that we can take a look at,\u201d said Rajakovic. \u201cI think continuing to develop the offensive side of the ball with individual improvement of players, of their shooting, is going to be very, very important for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Toronto\u2019s playoff run was also a personal triumph for Rajakovic as he became the first non-American coach to reach the league\u2019s playoffs after leading a team for an entire season.<\/p>\n

Rajakovic said he learned a lot about the difference between the regular season and playoffs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not about complicated plays. It\u2019s about making simple plays. It\u2019s about execution of those simple plays,\u201d said Rajakovic. \u201cIf you look at a simple play of pick-and-roll, if it\u2019s a guard-guard pick and roll, making sure it\u2019s a good setup, making sure you are coming alone to set a screen so you can create an advantage.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThere is going to be physicality. It\u2019s not going to be easy to create those gaps and advantages. It\u2019s really working on the fundamentals of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Rajakovic said that all-star forward Brandon Ingram will see a specialist about his right-heel inflammation later this week. Point guard Immanuel Quickley is going to miss a couple of weeks as he recovers from his right hamstring strain.<\/p>\n

Both are expected to be ready for next season.<\/p>\n

Rajakovic said he\u2019ll also be looking in the mirror over the summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really want to continue my development on mental performance,\u201d said Rajakovic, adding that he works with mental performance coach Brian Cain. \u201cThat\u2019s going to be one thing that I\u2019m going to really focus on continuing, growing in that area this year, and it\u2019s always continuing to find more answers to be one per cent better.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow we can get better offensively and defensively? Everything really revolves around how do we help our players. How can I be a better leader for them? How can I help them to be more productive on the court?\u201d<\/p>\n

Raptors general manager Bobby Webster, who is the head of the team\u2019s basketball operations, will speak with the media in his own news conference on Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n

This is a corrected story. An earlier version had the wrong year Scottie Barnes won rookie of the year.<\/p>\n

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2026.<\/p>\n

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Note to readers:This is a corrected story. An earlier version had the wrong year Scottie Barnes won rookie of the year.<\/p>\n

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