After casting a wide net searching for Nick Nurse’s replacement, the Toronto Raptors have settled on an unlikely choice as the team’s new head coach.
Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Raptors have hired Memphis Grizzlies assistant Darko Rajakovic to man the sidelines.
Along with Rajakovic, Toronto interviewed over a dozen candidates, including assistants Kenny Atkinson, Charles Lee, Kevin Young, Mitch Johnson, Jordi Fernandez, Adrian Griffin and WNBA coach Becky Hammon. Toronto even met with former NBA veteran JJ Redick, proving the thoroughness of the Raptors’ search.
Rajakovic has spent the last three seasons as an assistant under Taylor Jenkins in Memphis, where he played a significant role in the Grizzlies’ success. Taylor recently said that having Rajakovic on the staff “added so much” for a Grizzlies’ team that finished with the second-best record (51-31) in the Western Conference during the 2022-23 regular season .
“I rely on Darko so much,” Jenkins told Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “He’s got a passion for the game, he’s got so much energy. It’s everything from how he handles player development, from film work, how he attacks opponent’s scouting.”
Rajakovic’s first coaching job in the States came in the G-League, leading the Tulsa 66ers for two seasons from 2012-204. After spending six seasons as an assistant with the Oklahoma City Thunder (2014-2019), Rajakovic made a brief stop with the Phoenix Suns (2019-2020) before joining the Grizzlies in 2020.
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