Why Darko Rajakovic and Kawhi Leonard are on the same page at Raptors training camp - Toronto Star

A mutual connection to an NBA legend has helped the coach and all-star connect in Quebec City.

Returning Raptor Kawhi Leonard works on his shot at training camp on Wednesday. 

QUEBEC CITY—Darko Rajakovic is far too confident in his beliefs, personality and character to ever doubt that his message was worth delivering, and to deviate from it made no sense.

He was who he is: an open, emotional coach who wants to connect with everyone on deeper levels and get to know his players, coaches, everyone in his sphere of influence as humans first.

Rajakovic will never publicly demand validation. But when the Raptors head coach said Monday that “I feel much more comfortable in my own skin as a coach” it wasn’t hard to see the point he was making.

“When you come in with a vision, you just don’t know how players are going to accept it, or how the organization is going to accept it,” Rajakovic said here after the Raptors worked out at Laval University. “I’m really glad that the way we want to play, the grit and fight that we have, actually represents the way people from Toronto and from Canada are as well.

“I feel we’re on the right track, and I feel very comfortable going in that same direction.”

There’s no doubt the Raptors are on the right track on the court. They got better and posted a better record in each of Rajakovic’s first three seasons as head coach (25 wins to 30 to 46) and the group assembled for 2026-27 has the most raw talent.

He’s instilled a disruptive defensive system that creates pace, turnovers and transition play to mask deficiencies in half-court offence, and that’s what fans can expect this coming season.

But just as important as the X’s and O’s, the way he makes connections has created an atmosphere for the Raptors to thrive. Rajakovic gets to know them as people as much as players.

It’s a connection that sometimes takes time. Now, after the most significant acquisition of his tenure, everything has been accelerated.

Luckily Kawhi Leonard is open to it, welcomes it, appreciates it.

“You could tell he’s competitive and he has a sense of humour,” Leonard said of his first interaction with Rajakovic. “He understands there’s an on and off the floor aspect of life.

“You always like that in a coach, but I just love how assertive he is and how disciplined he wants us to be out there. I’ve got a lot more to learn from him.”

Leonard was born to it in the NBA, and that connection will be vital to any success in Toronto. Both share a past with one of the inventors of the work-life balance aspect of coach-player relationships.

Rajakovic cut some of his NBA coaching teeth in San Antonio, while Leonard started his Hall of Fame-calibre career there. Leonard doesn’t have to learn much about developing an all-encompassing relationship with a coach because he did it with his first one.

“I was lucky enough to get drafted (by San Antonio) and be close to (Gregg Popovich) and he was always, like, a life-balanced guy. Give you books and stuff to read off the floor, ask you what’s going on in world news,” Leonard said. “So you know, it’s a little bit like that with Darko as well, and I appreciate it. I appreciate his effort and how much dedication he has to his craft.”

Rajakovic arrived at practice Wednesday in an orange T-shirt in support of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Dozens of Raptors staffers were dressed the same, and Rajakovic took time to talk about that as much as the angle of setting screens, defensive rotations and rebounding anticipation at practice.

It’s how he rolls. Bigger picture, always. More than a basketball tactician.

“We talked about the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and what it represents, the memories of Indigenous people, the kids who were unfortunately killed and abused,” Rajakovic said about a team breakfast chat on Wednesday.

“Some of the guys knew about it, some of the new guys did not know what it represents. So we used the moment today to address that and to be conscientious (so) hopefully that nowhere in the world do things like that happen again.”

Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request.

There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again.

You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply.

Doug Smith is a sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow him on BlueSky: @smithraptorsbeat.bsky.social.