Raptors players who have upside under Darko Rajakovic

Amit Mann is joined by Eric Koreen to discuss players on the Raptors that could rebound under Darko Rajakovic. Watch the full episode on our YouTube channel or listen on the 'Raptors Over Everything' podcast.

Video Transcript

AMIT MANN: Last question back on the Raptors front-- is there a player that sticks out to you as one who could benefit from a different coach? And this isn't like a Nick Nurse versus Darko thing. This is just, like, where they are in their careers, where they were in the rotation last season.

Is there someone that you think could benefit from a different perspective? Hustle Play with Chris Bucha, we were asking him like, you know, what kind of coach do you want? And he's like, the one that's going to play me minutes. So, he didn't really care.

ERIC KOREEN: Yeah, I mean, like, you look at the bench opportunities, and they were just so fleeting. And so and we beat this to death. We don't need to talk too much about it.

But, like, Chris is right. Like, you know? Like, the guy who he ends up trusting the most is going to be that guy. Like, you know, I sort of think for the Raptor's sake, like, I hope it's Precious Achiuwa because I still think there's a really big difference maker in there going into his fourth year.

I don't expect them to come to an agreement on-- and this is just reading tea leaves. It's not reporting. But, like, I'd be surprised if they agreed to an extension off his rookie contract before the deadline just because the last two years have been so different for him.

How do you place value? He probably thinks he's-- we don't need to get into it. But like, it would be great except for the Raptors cap situation if, like, Precious Achiuwa really popped this year. So, like, he's somebody who comes to mind. Getting Gary Trent in more advantageous situations--

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

ERIC KOREEN: --if ball movement and player movement is improved so where he's not just, like, end of the shot clock dude trying to create. I know that's a big part of his game. But like, I don't think that's the best part of his game.

It's been a necessary part of his game given the way the Raptors offense has worked. And if Darko Rajakovic can shift that a little bit, I think it stands to reason that one of the better shooters on the team would benefit the most from it. So those are sort of two guys that I don't know whether it's, like, wish casting or, like, an actual belief. But like, I could see how and a fresh set of eyes would benefit both of those guys.

AMIT MANN: Yeah. Those are the two that stick out to me too. It was-- and did a podcast yesterday with a fellow about Gary Trent Jr. and just how maybe a different outlook and also maybe just a different kind of perspective philosophy with player movement, ball move, and if they can actually actualize it-- you know, Gary can really pop in that kind of setting. Also Precious Achiuwa because we see the potential.

It's pretty simple to see how someone like him could pop in a player movement style kind of basketball. And just him having clarity this season, not that-- I mean, it was a bit tougher over the past two seasons. But someone like him going from, like, center to power forward, then he's small forward, and just going back and forth, it could be just a little bit tough for a player. So if he gets clarity in his role, it could help him. But I'm sure Nick would have probably wanted that too.

ERIC KOREEN: Yeah, you did. But, like, to that point, like, Precious Achiuwa isn't going to be at his best in a stagnant offense, right? Like, he--

AMIT MANN: No.

ERIC KOREEN: --he sort of needs to be attacking closeouts. Not that he's such a dangerous shooter that teams are going to be, like, running out to him. But like, to any extent that the defense can be off balance, a little bit more off balance, I think that's going to help him because he's so explosive and such-- like, he can get up so quickly, and he's such a quick Twitch athlete offensively.

That's really going to help him. It can't-- like, his offensive value can't completely depend on whether he's going to hit a 3 or whether they get out in transition. Like, I think his defensive value is self-evident, and to any extent that he starts to get the ball while the defense is still rotating, that's only going to help him because I think there's-- like, certainly, I'm not expecting, like, playmaking for others. But there's certainly a playmaking for himself opportunity that can only come against a defense that is moving. It's not going to reveal itself in, like a defense that's more or less set.

AMIT MANN: Yeah. In practices, he's constantly working on cutting. And he has moments where he does flash as a cutter, and it looks beautiful because of how fluid he moves and how explosive he is. His second jump is ridiculous.

But we'll have to see how all of that kind of lands. Christian Coloco is another one that I think could really pop this season, not just because of Darko being there, but there's like a position. There's a value for him as a center off the bench that could really help the Raptors so they have more stability there because as we all know, their best offensive lineups are when Jakob Poeltl--

ERIC KOREEN: Yeah, I think, like, pretty clearly, like, we're looking at a situation where Jak is playing 28 minutes. Coloco is probably playing 12 minutes. And then eight minutes, they're going Funky. But like, that would seem to be the ideal scenario for the Raptors.