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Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic addressed multiple key themes on Thursday during a practice media session ahead of the first-round playoff matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, with repeated emphasis on Scottie Barnes, team identity, and matchup execution.
Rajakovic was direct when discussing Barnes’ perception and playoff stage. He said, “I know what Scottie can do and those games will not change my opinion whatsoever. Other people need to watch more film and study it more and not just look at the box score.”
He expanded on Barnes’ fit in a playoff environment, stating, “The way Scottie is competing, the way Scottie is contributing to the team on so many levels, it’s actually built for the playoff series. It’s a stage that he’s going to be shining. He just needs to be himself and do what he does.”
Rajakovic also addressed Barnes’ offensive balance, noting the in-game variability of his responsibilities. “That’s not an easy balance to find because he’s capable of doing multiple things and it’s just finding the right measure of that in each game. Every game is going to be different.”
He continued, “There’s going to be moments that he will need to be more aggressive and look to score more. There’s going to be moments that defenses are going to be focusing more on him and then he needs to playmake.”
On Toronto’s pace against Cleveland, Rajakovic reinforced transition execution as a core priority. “We got to try to play to our strengths. Nothing can change, nothing should change in that regard and we got to be able to run on makes and misses.”
He added, “Obviously our opponent is going to try to slow us down, try to do everything in their power, but they don’t have much say in that. That really depends on us.”
In half-court settings, Rajakovic emphasized structure over isolation hunting. “We just got to play to our standard and the way we want to play,” he said, noting actions will come through “natural flow of the offense.”
On personnel, he confirmed Immanuel Quickley’s status remains unchanged and praised Jakob Poeltl’s readiness, saying, “I think he’s in a good spot both with his health and with the rhythm.”
He also highlighted the defensive versatility of Collin Murray-Boyles alongside Barnes. “We had a lot of success with those two guys on the court… two very diverse defensive players that can guard their bigs, can rebound, can be in switching situations.”
Rajakovic also spoke highly of Sandro Mamukelashvili’s season, saying, “I think he’s doing an outstanding job offensively,” while adding, “we can switch much more with him now.”
When discussing Cleveland’s offensive threats led by Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, he said, “You’re not taking away scoring from James Harden or Donovan Mitchell,” and described the series as “fighting for margins.”
Defensively, he reiterated identity through pressure: “Everything for our defense starts with how well we guard the ball and how well we stay in front of the ball.”
On playoff mentality, Rajakovic kept the message simple. “We just need to go out there and play to our standard and enjoy the moment,” while adding, “We got to stay present in that moment and continue playing hard.”
He also pointed to experience as a guiding factor, referencing lessons from his early coaching years, and emphasized adaptability: “We got to be able to adjust on the fly.”
