Darko Rajakovic, the head coach of the Raptors, considers his tenureAs he leads the Raptors through his first season as head coach, Darko Rajakovic, they face off for the first time.
Both of the young head coaches have comparable career histories: Rajakovic led the Tulsa 66ers from 2012 to 2014, and Daigneault assumed the position in 2015 after the G League club changed its name to the OKC Blue.
Rajakovic then worked for Scott Brooks and Billy Donovan as an assistant for the Thunder for five seasons, from 2014 to 2019. Before moving on to become head coach, Daigneault worked as an assistant for the Thunder for one season in 2019–20.
Following Donovan’s firing, Rajakovic left OKC to work as an assistant for the Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies. This past offseason, the Raptors named Rajakovic their first-ever head coach.
Rajakovic, who had been coaching overseas for sixteen years, was grateful to the Thunder for giving him an opportunity at his first NBA job during his seven years there.
“I am really grateful to Sam (Presti) for believing in me,” Rajakovic remarked. I was the G League’s first foreign head coach at the time. He saw the direction that basketball will take in general. He took a chance on me, and the organization and he both gave me a lot of encouragement to be who I am.
Outside of the court, the 44-year-old expressed gratitude for his time spent in Oklahoma City and emphasized how important the city is to him.
“There is a lot of love and support for the squad because there aren’t many professional teams,” Rajakovic remarked. “It consistently sells out and has a high turnout. This group consistently does a great job of selecting and hiring individuals of high moral character.
“It’s a great place to live, with a great food scene and few distractions.” All you really need to do is show up to work and concentrate on playing basketball; you can really simply concentrate on your work while there isn’t much traffic.
It’s clear that Rajakovic owes the Thunder much of his development. He is only the most recent illustration of how OKC cultivates an environment that is fruitful and pulls out the best in individuals, even when it doesn’t happen within the company.
