Raptors' Darko Rajakovic could be dark horse Coach of the Year candidate

Darko Rajakovic is doing a great job with the Toronto Raptors to start the season.

Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic reacts in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers. | David Richard-Imagn Images

The Toronto Raptors are off to a great start in Darko Rajakovic's third season with the team.

Rajakovic has the offence among the top 10 in the league, and the defence is also slightly about league average. Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson sang Rajakovic's praises shortly after the Raptors' latest win.

“Their offence is improved, top-10 in the league (Raptors were, indeed, 10th in the NBA before Thursday’s game with an offensive rating of 116.9 per 100 possessions), they're definitely pushing the ball more, playing off their defence more … but defensively, what stands out is their pressure, can you get the ball over halfcourt against these guys?," Atkinson said via Sportsnet reporter Michael Grange.

"It’s 48 minutes of hell, like those Arkansas teams (up-tempo teams coached to great success by Nolan Richardson in the 1990s). It’s very similar to that, I love it … [but] Darko is doing a hell of a job creating an identity and getting their major players to buy in. Like, that’s part of this. You can have any style of play you want to play, but getting guys like BI (Ingram) and RJ (Barrett) to buy in; that's a real credit to their coaching staff and their players."

Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic walks into State Farm Arena before a game against the Atlanta Hawks. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Raptors getting attention from around the NBA

The Raptors came into the season viewed as one of the teams that could make some improvements in the Eastern Conference, but there were still a decent amount of question marks. Some of those have been answered in the first segment of the season and it has gone in the Raptors' favour.

The Raptors still have a long way to go and a lot of season left to play, but the early returns have been promising and they may not be as "under the radar" as they once were. The Raptors started off 1-4, but they have now won six of their last seven games, putting them towards the top of the Eastern Conference standings.

The Raptors are aware of their identity and they just need to execute the game plans day in and day out. Their schedule from now until the end of November is extremely favourable, so they need to take advantage while they can.

The Raptors are back in action tomorrow against LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET inside Scotiabank Arena.

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