This summer, the NBA decided to crack down on players who voluntarily take evenings off to rest. In other words, the NBA is no longer watching load management in the same way in 2023-2024. New Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic seems visibly ready to play musical chairs with his team.
“It’s a long season. We have to be smart. It’s obvious that we want our best players to be able to play every game, except that it’s important for us to play more than eight. I want have us have ten guys ready in the rotation. If necessary, I would cut somebody’s minutes to give them to someone else so they would all be ready and healthy for this long season.”
Darko Rajakovic, head coach of the Toronto Raptors
It wouldn’t be surprising to see the new coach keep his word. There are now statistics to support his point. Of course, it was a pre-season game, but it is the perfect time to introduce new tactics. During the preseason game against the Sacramento Kings last Sunday, no less than 15 players got playing time, yet ten of them played more than a quarter of an hour.
One thing is certain, Darko Rajakovic wants to prioritize the team’s common features. We recognize here a very different strategy from Nick Nurse’s.
Year after year under their former head coach, Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet found themselves at the top of the list for most minutes played per game. game in the league, sometimes with more than 38 per night.
Rajakovic’s philosophy should therefore differ greatly from Nurse’s.
It is also a method to circumvent the league’s new measures regarding load management. Pascal Siakam is also a player expressly targeted for rest restrictions. So it looks like Darko will have no problem reducing his player’s minutes All Staras he has confidence in his team’s abilities – whether it’s a starter or a player coming off the bench.
All-Star break: The NBA is (really) tightening the screws | AlleyOop360
The NBA Board of Governors has voted on very strict measures aimed at limiting the management of star load.
Toronto Raptors fans should feel confident in what to watch this season. In such a short time, Darko Rajakovic has the full trust of his players, and vice versa. Fans in attendance in Vancouver were treated to a small taste of the style of play the Toronto team will have this fall.
The Raptors will also be in Chicago next Tuesday to face the Bulls. This will be the second game in this short preparatory calendar.
Luguentz Dort wows Bell Center crowd | AlleyOop360
The Detroit Pistons defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in a preseason game at the Bell Center in Montreal.