Darko Rajakovic Makes Injury Admission After Heat Game

Going into the final three games of the regular season, the Toronto Raptors have their priorities set on making the playoffs for the first time since 2021. The Eastern Conference standings watch is one of the best at this time of year that fans have seen in years. Seeds 5-9 are separated by just two games, meaning every result from those five teams can drastically alter the playoff outlook for 2026. 

Currently in the sixth seed, the Raptors control their own destiny to avoid the Play-In Tournament. With games against the Miami Heat, New York Knicks, and Brooklyn Nets remaining, winning two of the three would likely solidify their spot in the top six. Two-time All-Star Brandon Ingram claims he and the Raptors are not worried about the standings and are just trying to win every game ahead of them, but they certainly need to act as though the playoffs have already started. 

Injuries have been a concern for Toronto throughout nearly the entirety of this season. Starters Jakob Poeltl and RJ Barrett, along with standout rookie lottery pick Collin Murray-Boyles, have missed a total of 84 games this year between the three of them. Starting point guard Immanuel Quickley just returned from an eight-game absence due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot, marking the first game in quite some time that head coach Darko Rajakovic had his full rotation to his disposal. 

After the first of back-to-back matchups with the Heat, the Serbian head coach wanted to be clear that the team is still suffering from multiple injuries, even though the players are active. 

“We’re really banged up still,” said Rajakovic. “Several guys played banged up, and played through a lot of pain, but that’s [the] NBA. That’s the part of the season we’re in.”

While to some this may sound like an excuse, the injury reports don’t lie. Having a clean report on Tuesday felt like an anomaly with this team; it’s easy to forget about a player’s previous injuries when they are playing well in spite of them. As the postseason creeps up, it becomes more and more difficult to hide this pain that nearly everyone in the league who plays big minutes has to deal with. 

Murray-Boyles is one player that someone can watch and easily tell that he is going through an annoying thumb injury. Unfortunately, two separate injuries to the same thumb are going to produce more than just an annoyance, and it should come as no surprise that the rookie was forced to miss 11 straight games just a couple of weeks ago. 

Annoyed may be a better adjective for Quickley, who made it very clear to reporters after yesterday's practice that he did not want to talk about the injury that had been holding him up. He played just 18 minutes in his return to action, scoring only three points. 

"I'm not gonna talk about my foot today," said Quickley.