The Toronto Raptors have been rebuilding a championship core since the start of the decade, following their first-ever NBA championship in 2019.
At the center of the Raptors’ rebuild has been Scottie Barnes, the fourth overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft.
For Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković, Scottie Barnes is his Michael Jordan in Toronto.
“All of our greatest coaches, who are fantastic coaches, thinkers, philosophers, workers, and everything else, none of them became that without a player,” Rajaković said in an interview with Aca Stojanović via YouTube. “All of them became great coaches thanks to the players. And I think it’s on every level, whether it’s EuroLeague, NBA, Phil Jackson, it’s not Phil Jackson without Michael Jordan.”
“My Michael Jordan is Scottie Barnes. He is a fantastic person, a young guy, with a big heart, a great worker, and I have great gratitude to him, and again, how God did it, that everything I see a basketball player doing, he sees it the same way. He is one of the very, very rare players in the entire NBA who is that level of a player- an all-star player, a franchise player- who wants to play pressing all over the court, who has defense as a priority and the first thing he thinks about.”
Darko Rajakovic Has Great Gratitude For Toronto Raptors Superstar
GettyDETROIT, MICHIGAN – DECEMBER 30: Head coach Darko Rajaković of the Toronto Raptors talks to Scottie Barnes #4 while playing the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on December 30, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit won the game 129-127. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Rajaković thanked Barnes for making his job easy as the head coach of the Raptors, which has risen into one of the playoff contenders in the Eastern Conference after several years of not playing in the postseason.
“That’s something that makes my job a lot easier. He is different, that he has different priorities, and he does different things. I wouldn’t help the team, if I would have to be different, to do things that are outside of my philosophy, outside of what I love. Or I would have to do what players don’t want to do. I would have be looking for a new job right now,” he said.
“And thanks to Scottie Barnes, and not just him, but the team of players, and the players that my front office brought, that are that kind of character, and guys who want to do some difficult things to come to victory. I am really extremely grateful to them,” he added.
Toronto Raptors Set To Be Among Eastern Conference’s Contenders Next Season
GettyTORONTO, CANADA – MAY 01: Scottie Barnes #4 of the Toronto Raptors stands for the anthem prior to Game Six against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the First Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on May 01, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)
Since being hired as head coach in 2023, Rajaković has revitalized the Raptors by guiding them back to the NBA playoffs last season with his high-ball-movement system, establishing himself as a fixture of the franchise’s future.
Barnes played 80 games for the Raptors in the 2025-2026 NBA season, averaging 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game while shooting 50.7% from the field. His strong two-way play earned him a selection to his second All-Star game.
Led by Barnes, the Raptors finished with the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference before losing in seven games against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
For the upcoming season, the Raptors opted to cash in on their assets and pull off a win-now move, agreeing to a high-profile potential blockbuster trade for Kawhi Leonard, though pending league investigations have kept parts of that transaction on hold.
The Raptors also added veteran forward Kyle Anderson off free agency and rookies Allen Graves and Jaden Bradley.
Toronto Raptors Reveal Michael Jordan Player