Nice writeup from Koreen on Year 1 Darko:
https://theathletic.com/5400465/2024/04/09/darko-rajakovic-raptors-coach-rookie-season/?source=emp-shared-articleLove this KO quote near the start
“I’ve been on some teams where it’s the end of the year, you’re losing, whatever. You don’t practice,” Raptors centre Kelly Olynyk said Monday. “You don’t watch film and kind of just pack it in. You roll (the ball) out there in the game and kind of go through the motions.
“But that hasn’t been the case here at all. We watched more film on that losing streak than we did when we win or whatever it is. (Head coach Darko Rajaković) is continuing to hold people accountable, keep people honest, continue to build habits for the young guys and as a team, and that’s big. You’ve kind of seen that in the last few games.”
His relentlessness is a huge positive in a development environment where the team is trying to establish a culture.
Temple had some interesting insight on his communication and transparency:
In the communication department, 14-year veteran Garrett Temple said Rajaković is the first coach in his career to outline to his team before a game who he expects to be in and out of a rotation in the first half, always noting that things could change in the second half (because of injuries or foul issues).
“That gives players, in my opinion, peace, a sense of calm,” Temple said. “There’s no anxiety. I think that’s good, especially for young players. … A lot of old-school guys don’t think young players deserve to know, (that they should) just be ready regardless.”
Koreen himself was actually pretty neutral on assessing Darko's first year overall, citing some positive signs (eg. team didn't fall apart or turn on each other during the massive losing streak), but pretty much saying it's impossible to know given the weirdness of the year.