Warriors Legend Praises Raptors Coach After On-Court Back-and-Forth

Golden State Warriors legend Draymond Green shared praise for Darko Rajaković and the job he's done with the Toronto Raptors

Mar 10, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic calls out to his team during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Darko Rajaković could only smile.

The numbers said the Toronto Raptors’ game plan Thursday night was sound. The idea was to get the ball out of Stephen Curry’s hands and force someone else to beat them. That’s why Toronto was content to let Draymond Green fire away from beyond the arc. Given Green’s 32.8 percent three-point stroke, the strategy made sense.

But sometimes weird things happen.

Green connected on four of his first seven three-point attempts and decided to let Rajaković hear about it. The Raptors were not particularly eager to close out on the Warriors forward, so Green kept letting it fly and jawing across the court. Rajaković could only grin and told Green to “keep shooting” as the two exchanged words.

After the game, Green made it clear his back-and-forth with the Raptors coach came from a place of respect.

“He is one of the most intense coaches in the league. I love talking back and forth to him when we play against those guys,” Green told reporters postgame. “Got a lot of respect for him. He’s a great basketball mind in this league. … So it is always fun when you get to mix it up a little bit with the coaches about their gameplan.”

It was more than just in-game banter that earned Rajaković Green’s praise.

“Think he's an incredible coach,” Green continued. “He got those guys playing hard as hell. So you just tip your cap to him. But it's always fun to jaw back and forth a little bit.”

Green cooled off after his early flurry, hitting just one more three-pointer in the second half. That opened the door for the Raptors to hang around, carried by another standout performance from Scottie Barnes.

And in the end, the result was just about perfect for Toronto: a competitive showing from its young core that went toe-to-toe with one of the league’s best, and a narrow loss that helped preserve valuable lottery odds.