Darko Rajakovic Gives Harsh Reality on Toronto Raptors Despite Back-to-Back Wins

The Toronto Raptors won 119-108 against the top-seeded Detroit Pistons Sunday night in Scotiabank Arena. Toronto’s 38th win marked just the second all season against top-10 teams in the NBA, outside of the pre-James Harden Cleveland Cavaliers, boosting the record against such teams to 2-18. 

Several players stepped up in a big way against Detroit, but the overall team effort was aggressive from the start. The two former Duke Blue Devils, Brandon Ingram and RJ Barrett, gave impressive contributions of 61 points combined on 23-for-42 shooting. Scottie Barnes gave his all on both ends of the floor, adding 14 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, three blocks, and a steal. Jakob Poeltl easily had his best game of the season, supplying 21 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, and a block on 9-for-12 shooting.

Despite being the No. 1 team in the NBA in fastbreak points per game with 18.6, the Raptors were outscored in that aspect against the Pistons 17-10. Considering Toronto led for 72% of the game, including a lead of 14 points at one point, its ability to produce in the halfcourt was a strong suit, something the Raptors haven’t been able to say all season.

Head coach Darko Rajakovic was asked after the win about the team’s increased pace over the past couple of games, but his answer might not be what the reporters expected. 

“The pace is better, but it’s not even close to where it needs to be, to be honest,” said Rajakovic. “We still don’t have good enough habits in the half-court. Not conditioning-wise, not the stamina that demands to play that type of basketball nonstop. So, that’s something we’re working on. That’s something that we’re really focusing on, to be able to go from one action to another action, to not allow a team to be physical with you. You play against physicality by moving very quickly without the ball … I’m really proud of how the guys are putting the work in, and that they’re doing a great job.”

His brutal honesty seems out of place after such an impressive set of back-to-back wins, but he didn’t tell any lies. The Raptors have consistently struggled against teams that defend well in the half-court because of their inability to move off the ball. Even in Sunday night’s win, Toronto relied heavily on the pick-and-roll or isolation basketball from Ingram or Barrett. The difference against the third-best defense in the NBA was that the players were hitting shots that provided big momentum shifts. 

Whether it was points in the paint off of the pick-and-roll action or off-ball cuts, open threes off of the drive-and-kicks, or even the contested makes off of isolation, the Raptors simply couldn’t miss in the swinging moments. Toronto has consistently been one of the worst shooting teams in the NBA (26th in three-point percentage with 34.5%), but it showed against Detroit that when outside shots are made, the Raptors are a scary team to match up with. 

When looking at the stats, Toronto shot just 8-for-28 from beyond the arc, but the timely makes, coupled with the relentless defense on the other end was enough to keep the Pistons out of striking distance for the majority of the game. The Raptors begin a five-game road trip Wednesday night, starting with the Chicago Bulls in the United Center. They currently sit as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, yet just half a game behind the Orlando Magic in fifth and 2.5 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers in fourth.