Does Darko Rajakovic actually have players buying in?

On the latest Strictly Hoops, C.J. Miles discusses signs players are truly buying into a coaches system. Watch the full episode on our YouTube or listen on the 'Raptors Over Everything' podcast feed.

Video Transcript

CJ MILES: --great things, and you just hope that they're not just saying that to start the season, right? Like, really, we'll be able to see if they mean what they're saying.

AMIT MANN: Yeah. Are there signs, from a player perspective, if they're actually buying in, or if they're saying just what they've gotta say very diplomatically?

CJ MILES: No, I think the signs are, like, the effort that you get in the first preseason game, right? Like, we were talking about it before we started. This is actually a pretty good bump, like, a pretty good run, because, you know, we know, a lot of first preseason games, the starters played six minutes, and then it's just whatever.

Like, those guys played regular rotation in the first half, it looked like, and they got after it, you know? Like, guys are chasing people down, both sides, chasing people down on fastbreaks, like, not just letting guys go. There's some good fouls. There's some good just intensity in that game, just guys really trying to get a feel.

AMIT MANN: Yeah. Today, Darko had said that he likes the idea of running a 10-man rotation. And to your point, that's what they were running in that first half, mostly. It was 10 people, and then, as the game went on, you know, obviously, things changed, and you bring in some of the other guys.

But, yeah, it was 10 players, and it's interesting that he's kind of decided that he wants to be 10 players. Like, for some of those guys, and we've talked about it, I mean, as Raptor fans, we're all aware, too, that, last season, we may have been a little bit confused about the depth on this team. It wasn't as clear as maybe we thought it might be.

But this season, going into it, it seems like there is, like, legit depth with this roster, and there's going to be talented players at the 11th, 12th, 13th roster spot that are not going to play, dudes who should play on an NBA team, but they're not going to with this Raptor squad.

CJ MILES: Great problem to have.

AMIT MANN: It is, definitely, for a coach, is that, you know--

CJ MILES: A couple reasons.

AMIT MANN: Yeah, injuries happen, so you have, like, that next-man-up mentality. That's for sure there.

CJ MILES: Injuries. Like you said, next-man mentality. The quality of practice, the guys that those guys work against every other day. Like, you know, iron sharpens iron, right, so having talented guys at the end of your bench that can push your guys every day and give those guys a sense of, somebody could take my spot.

I could lose my spot in the rotation, if I'm not working and staying sharp, not if you have a couple of bad games, things like that, no, but, like, if I don't make sure I stay sharp, this is still very much a competition. This is still very much a win-first thing, right, and the best players play, so whoever plays best plays, right.

And that's a great thing about having a 10-man rotation and having 14 guys that can play, because everybody's pushed all the way up the ladder, right?

AMIT MANN: Mm-hmm. Some of the comments about Darko, what's interesting is that a lot of them are very similar. You know, it's not just guys saying different parts about his character, or who he is as a coach. It's that everyone's kind of saying the exact same thing, which makes you believe that it's actually true, right, unless there's, like, a really good script out there that they've all memorized.

Actually, it seems like, one, his practices are tough. They're tough, and that he's demanding. Those are things that Thad Young and Jalen McDaniels actually said today. It's kind of like, in that realm, is that it's tough, he demands a lot, but, also, at the same time, he brings an energy that's very positive. The vibes are very good. He cares about you. He's a great communicator.

These are all things we're hearing from players across the Raptors, not one, not two. They're all saying the same damn thing, which makes me believe that, hey, you know what, maybe this is actually true. And as you said, there was buy-in in that first game.

CJ MILES: Yeah. One second. Lauren's about to take the baby.

CJ MILES: Yeah, yeah. A transaction right in front of us. Call it a "shovel pass." Is it a shovel pass, CJ? The point guard has taken the ball.

CJ MILES: Yeah, the actual person that runs this team, right?

AMIT MANN: Exactly.

CJ MILES: But, yeah, so, hearing the word "demand" makes you think, like, if I set this, if I come in and set my tone, then this doesn't feel like punishment, because, during the season, we all know, like, things can go up and down, and all of a sudden, you want to throw all this stuff at us now, because we're not winning, and then, when we're winning, your practices are easier, and they're doing this-- But if you set a baseline right now of how we're gonna work and what we want to do, then it's easier to ask for that demand.

Like, when I get to the game, it's easy for me to ask you, because I'm at you every day about this. And I think that's a great thing to hear from them, and to hear that they're accepting it, like, because we know people complain about the practices and the workloads now, in this time, and that's what's great about having a 10-man rotation also.

Now I've got guys all through the year. I can keep guys fresher. I can keep guys sharp, also, for when I do need them, in case an injury happens, and now I've gotta pull them up 15 minutes, and I've got to take somebody that's not playing into the rotation, so it's not so much slack from that, and I think it's great to hear.

AMIT MANN: Do you think that practices should be tougher than games? Do you back that?

CJ MILES: I think, with the way our schedule, obviously, you have to be mindful of this, but I think you should train to make the game easy.

AMIT MANN: Like, as a general point? Obviously, like, heading into three games in four nights, maybe keep practice a little bit light, Coach, but, yeah.

CJ MILES: 100%. But the day we have time to actually train, and it does not affect us being able to get rest for a game, then, 100%, we should go at it. We should get to it. We should scrimmage. And I'm not saying we play four quarters in practice, but I'm saying we should get some real intense-- Because intensity and focus of that level is a muscle, right, so we should train that muscle as much as we can.

So, by the time the end of the year comes, and we're in the playoffs, and you're really trying to keep people fresh, the muscle's trained so well I'm not worried about us taking the whole day off between the games and series. I'm not worried about All-Star Break, you know what I mean, because I've trained the muscle, and you get to a certain level where you want the muscle to keep its strength yourself.

So, when you go for All-Star Weekend, you're gonna work out, because you know what I'm gonna demand when you get back, and that's the great thing about setting that mental tone so early.

AMIT MANN: A few more things on Darko before we move on. But, today, again, I said that Thad spoke, and he said-- Someone asked him, I forget who it was, asked Thad, within the coaches that you've had in your NBA career, how is Darko similar, different, and so forth, and he said, no, he's one of one. That's Thad Young saying that, who's seen a lot of damn coaches in his career, and he's saying he's one of one.

CJ MILES: A lot of good coaches, too.

AMIT MANN: Yeah. That's revealing to me.

CJ MILES: No, and, like, like I was saying to you, before we started, like, the way they talk about him, it reminds me of the way I felt about Coach Vogel. Shoutout to Coach Vogel, going to Phoenix, which is crazy, if he can get that type of love and buy-in with the guys he's got over there, too.

AMIT MANN: If they're playing defense, ooh.

CJ MILES: Man, like, if he can get that over there. But that's not-- Forget them. We're talking about the Raptors. But, no, like, because it also builds a confidence in the relationship, right? Like we were saying, like, the demand I create also comes with my ability to be able to create avenues for you to be a better player.

So, if I come to you, and say we have a sit-down, one-on-one, and I show you that I've studied your game and found ways to implement you in my game plan, when I ask you for something else, that's easy, because I present it to you as easy. I've shown you five ways I can make you a better scorer. That can create you more minutes, create you better shots, opportunities.

So, then, when I'm like, hey, I also need you to work on getting over screens better, I got you, Coach. Of course, I'll do that. Like, it's so-- Because you--

AMIT MANN: I'm here to help!