{"id":937626,"date":"2026-10-18T12:40:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T12:40:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/937626\/"},"modified":"2026-10-18T12:40:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T12:40:10","slug":"i-dont-care-if-the-shot-is-gonna-fall-or-not-darko-rajakovic-thinks-allen-graves-should-let-it-fly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/937626\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI don\u2019t care if the shot is gonna fall or not.\u201d Darko Rajakovi\u0107 thinks Allen Graves should let it fly"},"content":{"rendered":"

Allen Graves has had a bit of a rough outing in the Raptors\u2019 preseason games, but his coach sees things as going all according to plan.<\/p>\n

In two games played, the forward has averaged just over 19 minutes of playing time, posting numbers of seven points, five and a half rebounds, and an assist and a steal a-piece per game. Less than stellar from a first round pick, especially considering that the scoring is being done at a clip of 25% accuracy, while shooting just over nine percent from three.<\/p>\n

Offensively, Graves has struggled, especially in his last game, where he was four for thirteen, and missed all five shots from three. However, the rookie can\u2019t be faulted for what he\u2019s doing: after all, he\u2019s just following his coach\u2019s directions.<\/p>\n

On the 14th of October, Darko Rajakovi\u0107 was asked about Allen Graves\u2019 feel for the game despite his inaccuracy (the night before, the forward had shot 16% from three). The coach\u2019s response?<\/p>\n

\"DETROIT,<\/a><\/p>\n

DETROIT, MI – OCTOBER 16: Allen Graves #22 of the Toronto Raptors shoots the ball during the game against the Detroit Pistons during a preseason game on October 16, 2026 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and\/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Chris Schwegler\/NBAE via Getty Images) NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care if the shot is gonna fall or not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a great shooter,\u201d Rajakovi\u0107 continued, intently. \u201cI promise him this morning, the first time when I see him, that he does not take open shot when I see him, I\u2019m going to sit him on the bench. \u2029It\u2019s going to be simple as that.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s this type of confidence and championing of his players that has characterized Rajakovi\u0107\u2018s tenure as the Raptors\u2019 head coach. This type of leadership and standing by players who are down can be instrumental in keeping a locker room united, but at the same time, the coach is not simply making a leap of blind faith.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a great shooter,\u201d repeated Rajakovi\u0107, as if drilling a lesson into schoolchildren who were liable to forget if not reminded. \u201cHe has a great feel for the game and yesterday was a typical rookie game playing for the first time in front of home crowd. \u2029That was such a typical game, I was so happy for him to get in a foul trouble, to miss shots, and I think that was awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is this clear willingness to let a player develop that is a big part of what sets the Raptors apart as an organization. A few rough preseason games aren\u2019t something to be ashamed of, in the mind of Darko Rajakovi\u0107. They\u2019re a learning experience, and more than that, a milestone for a young player. Showing flashes of greatness on the court are not being prioritized over working on oneself \u2014 yet.<\/p>\n

It seems for now, Allen Graves will be given the room to make mistakes, to brick jumpshots, and take all the missteps that one might take in an NBA game, in the service of maturing into a well-rounded player. It would be nice if everyone was afforded the luxury of time and external validation that seems to be happening here. But, even if that can\u2019t be the case, it\u2019s good to know that some NBA coaches have real heart.<\/p>\n

It seems that Rajakovi\u0107 was channelling his inner Dion Waiters when he spoke to the media last week.<\/p>\n

Maybe Waiters, and Rajakovi\u0107, are both right. Let\u2019s make sure that Graves doesn\u2019t lose confidence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Allen Graves has had a bit of a rough outing in the Raptors\u2019 preseason games, but his coach…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":937627,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[434],"tags":[49,48,3673,459,82],"class_list":["post-937626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-general","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/937626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=937626"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/937626\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/937627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=937626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=937626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=937626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}