Raptors' Darko Rajakovic receives Coach of the Year vote

Joe Mazzulla won Coach of the Year, and Darko Rajaković received a single third-place vote for Toronto. Rajaković’s third season in Toronto brought another increase in wins, rising from 25 in his first year to 30 the next year and 46 this past season. The Raptors clinched a playoff spot for the first time in four years. Rajaković emphasized that he was already preparing for next season during the offseason planning process, with a significant portion of his first team meeting ready. He described planning as ongoing and continuous. He also framed Toronto’s position between contenders and pretenders as an advantage rooted in team continuity and players staying together.

"It's safe to say that the past season was a smash hit for Darko Rajakovic, but the third-year head coach isn't resting on his laurels. "I have already 40 to 50 percent of my first team meeting ready for next year," Rajakovic said at his season-end debrief with media on Tuesday. "Probably like two-three months ago I already started planning the summer, started planning the next season. Start making a bunch of notes." "That's (an) ongoing process. That never stops," he added."

"This past season was Rajaković's third year in Toronto, and his third year seeing an increase in the win column. When the former Grizzlies' assistant was hired by the Raptors in 2023, he led the team to just 25 wins, the next year that increased to 30, and this past season the team won 46 games, clinching a playoff spot for the first time in 4 years."

"Now that this Raptors team has grown together over the course of a couple seasons to ascend from the depths of the Eastern Conference and begin making a name for themselves, continued improvement both via development and in the standings gets more granular. But while this was Rajakovic's first time as a head coach in the playoffs, he doesn't act like a rookie. Instead of acknowledging the precarious position Toronto sits in between the contenders and pretenders, Rajakovic instead pointed to their continuity as an advantage."

""The difference is continuity of the team, right," he said. "Having players that are with the""

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