Darko Rajaković Details Roles Within New Raptors Coaching Staff
The Toronto Raptors have undergone almost a complete overhauling of their coaching staff over the summer. Of course, Nick Nurse was let go and replaced by Darko Rajaković but the changes are far deeper than just the leader of the staff.
Pat Delany will be Rajaković’s lead assistant and oversee the defense, Rajaković said last week. He served as the team’s head coach at Summer League and previously worked as an assistant coach for Washington, Orlando, Charlotte, and Miami.
Jama Mahlalela returns to the Raptors after two seasons with the Golden State Warriors. He’ll oversee the offense and special situations, Rajaković said. Mahlalela was previously a head coach for the Raptors 905.
Joining Mahlalela on the offensive side of the ball will be James Wade, who comes over after spending five seasons as the head coach and general manager of the Chicago Sky of the WNBA. He’ll help with the offense and be involved in the analytics department, Rajaković said.
“I think he's gonna do an amazing job,” Rajaković said of Wade on Media Day. “When I was looking for a coaching staff, I wanted to have diversity. I wanted to have different backgrounds and he fit in perfectly into that.”
The 6-foot-8 Mike Batiste will work with Toronto’s bigs this season. He’s previously spent time as an assistant coach working in player development throughout the NBA and was a member of the Memphis Grizzlies in 2002-03.
Jim Sann is the lone returning assistant coach for the Raptors and will work with Toronto’s youngest players and those out of the rotation, Rajaković said. He’s been a member of the Raptors’ staff since 2016-17.
Fellow Serbian Ivo Simović will work in the player development department and as a scout for Toronto this season. He was an assistant coach at UCLA last year.
Vin Bhavnani and Drew Jones will join Simović in the player development section, Rajaković said.
Mery Andrade will be a liaison between the Raptors and the 905, working with player assignments and communication between the two programs, Rajaković said.
