Darko Rajakovic Uplifts Toronto Raptors Amid Six Losses in Eight Game-Stretch

Fans of the Toronto Raptors in 2026 have been through quite the emotional roller coaster in terms of expectations for their favorite team. After missing the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, general manager Bobby Webster and his franchise expected to be back in the playoff mix this season after trading for two-time All-Star Brandon Ingram before the trade deadline in 2024. 

Not many expected the Raptors to get out to as hot of a start as they did. While they did endure an early four-game losing streak, leading to a 1-5 record, Toronto immediately won 13 of its next 14 games, including a nine-game winning streak. Then, the Raptors lost six of their next seven games, ultimately sitting with a record of 15-11 through their first 26 games. 

After once being the third seed in the Eastern Conference, the Raptors have been plummeting due to a recent stretch of several more losses than wins. The last 10 games for Toronto have followed an exact pattern of one win followed by two losses, with the cycle repeating every three games. The majority of these losses have come to the top-10 teams in the NBA, whom the Raptors have a 1-18 record against, outside of the pre-James Harden Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Head coach Darko Rajakovic has chosen to remain positive with his team during a difficult time where the Raptors have fallen into the seventh seed, projected for the Play-In Tournament. 

"I have the utmost trust in this group of players,” said Rajakovic. “Where we’re at right now in the season is exactly where we need to be. This (adversity) is really good for us … I strongly, strongly believe that this period will make us better. We're going to get through this together."

With another difficult matchup coming tonight at home against the top team in the East, the Detroit Pistons, Toronto has more work to do before reaching the postseason comfortably. Whether the franchise sees a playoff appearance for the first time since 2022 or not, the Raptors desperately need to prove they belong with the league’s best, or else they will have a quick exit in the first round. Having only 18 games remaining, it seems rather unlikely that the Raptors will be able to catch the New York Knicks for the third seed, so if they make the playoffs, they will be forced to match up with one of the top four teams in the conference as soon as the postseason begins. 

The time is now for the players to show what they are truly made of. There has not been one player who has a nightly expectation on offense because of the sporadic display of great and awful games from all of the team’s top five scorers. Durability has also been an issue for Toronto this season, as RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, and Collin Murray-Boyles have all been out at one point or another for pretty much the entire season. Assuming health can be obtained, time will tell what ceiling the Raptors are able to hit before the regular season closes.