Darko Rajakovic has been unwavering since the first practice of training camp: This will be a Raptors season that鈥檚 about building for the future.
And that might mean a group of unproven youngsters getting a chance to finish close games down the stretch, as they did Tuesday night in Orlando.听
It鈥檚 not perfect聽鈥 Toronto鈥檚 more experienced, more qualified, more proven players could probably use more of that experience, too聽鈥 but it鈥檚 a balance the head coach has to strike. It will, he believes, pay benefits in the months and seasons to come. He鈥檚 always felt that and to ask him to change now is to not understand how important it is to him.
鈥淲hen you look at our team, we鈥檝e got to think about long term, we鈥檝e got to think about our commitment to winning a championship, and it cannot just be this game or that game, it has to be seeing the big picture and the big picture is we鈥檝e got to build from within,鈥 Rajakovic said Thursday.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got to develop our guys, we鈥檝e got to put them in situations to learn, to be successful, to fail and to learn from that.鈥
The context of the post-practice discussion was Rajakovic鈥檚 decision Tuesday to relegate four crucial players聽鈥 Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl聽鈥 to spectator status for up to nine minutes of the fourth quarter against the Magic.
He sent out a fivesome that had never played a second together聽鈥 Jamal Shead, Ja鈥橩obe Walter, Jared Rhoden, AJ Lawson and Orlando Robinson聽鈥 and left the game in their hands.
It worked when a Walter three-pointer with less than a second won the game but it caused a kerfuffle. Here was a team intentionally not using its best players in the final half of a fourth quarter that was back and forth. (鈥淢aybe the story should have been more about Orlando losing than who won for us,鈥 one team insider said.) It was a clear statement from the coach and the organization that they wanted to win but wouldn鈥檛 use their best players to do it.
Get used to it, folks.
鈥淭he big picture is where we want to go and what we are trying to achieve, and how we want to develop all those guys,鈥 Rajakovic said. 鈥淧ut them in situations where they can learn and improve ... That鈥檚 been my objective through the whole season and that鈥檚 going to remain my objective through the last 20 games.鈥
The same scenario may not come up again in the final quarter of the regular season. And Rajakovic is mindful that Quickley, Barnes, Barrett and Poeltl don’t have years of experience together and need as much time as they can get.听
鈥淚 think they need that as well,鈥 he said. 鈥淎ll of those close games, it鈥檚 very important for all of our guys to get those reps. It鈥檚 going to be on me to decide .鈥
For one night, the veterans were perfectly fine with what happened in Orlando and why. If it happens a dozen more times, that attitude might change .
鈥淚 think we’re trying to build a championship team here. I think a team needs everybody,” Barrett said. “So, those guys getting that development, that’s necessary for us for the next couple of years.
“You didn’t see anybody pouting or anybody being upset. We were cheering on the next man. We were all on the bench hyped. Obviously we share in each other’s success. It’s amazing.鈥
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation