We’re back for Toronto Raptors Media Day ahead of the 2025-2026 NBA Season. This thread will update live after every press conference today, starting with Darko Rajakovic at 9:30am.
Darko Rajakovic
Darko began by reflecting
on his previous two years with the team, discussing the whirlwind of changes that occurred throughout each season. He is excited for consistency this year and has been getting positive feedback from players and the organization.
He discussed his focus on winning, which remains unchanged. He thinks his team is hungry to compete, and his team is focusing on that high level of competition. He was intentional during the offseason about figuring out how to build chemistry with this team as a unit, given their individual talent and lack of playing time together. He emphasized defence as a pillar of their system. He also emphasized the team embracing and working with each other’s skill sets.
Darko also talked about adding Brandon Ingram to the team and his expectations for him. He said Ingram is heading into his prime and wants him to be a lead playmaker and scorer for the team. Yet, there was also an emphasis on Scottie Barnes being the leader defensively and raising the standard team-wide. He also talked about the depth of this team being better than in years past, meaning he may be able to have a bigger rotation.
There was also a moment when he mentioned talking to Garrett Temple about the player’s offseason process, another bit of proof of the importance of his leadership. Yet, the team also takes on leadership, inviting players to come work out in various locations, having their own “mini-camps” all over.
On a personal level, Darko talked about knowing how the offseason works a lot better in his third summer with the Raptors. His team made sure to frontload their offseason work, planning so that there wasn’t a rush when it came to August. He holds a coaches retreat every summer for his staff, and then he was able to take a good amount of time off to rest and recharge. He also talked about learning about Bobby Webster’s promotion and how it made him confident in the team’s direction.
There was also mention of the “summer projects” with players on an individual level. His staff created some goals and tried to work with players on a 1-on-1 level in different capacities.
He also spoke on the rise of basketball in Canada, adorably saying his son already identifies as “half Serbian, half Canadian” and wants his players to feel that same pride when they come to play in Toronto.
