Thanks to what may have been the best game of Scottie Barnes’ short career, the Toronto Raptors, led by rookie head coach Darko Rajakovic, defeated the formidable Victor Wembanyama and the entirety of Gregg Popovich’s San Antonio Spurs in what proved to be the team’s best individual victory of the 2023 campaign.
Plays such as this will only help the Raptors coach’s reputation within the NBA. Rajakovic wasn’t a heralded assistant and he’s not the most flashy quote machine, but Popovich appears to believe that if he continues in this vein, Rajakovic will become a household name.
Popovich knows as well as anyone that Rajakovic is the type of coach who will thrive in the modern NBA, as Pop got a first-hand look at him during his time with the Spurs as a scout. Rajakovic received one of the biggest co-signs an NBA coach can possibly earn when Popovich vouched for his ability.
“Darko is great,” Popovich said. “He is one of those under-the-radar kind of guys. He doesn’t seek attention or anything like that. But he has a really brilliant mind… I’m really pulling for him.” Rajakovic has some important people in his corner; now, he needs to reward their trust.
