NBA: Power ranking all 30 head coaches heading into the 2024-25 season

26. Darko Rajakovic, Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors made the bold move to fire Nick Nurse after the 2022-23 NBA season. The team was beginning to trend in the wrong direction and it was clear that a retooling of the roster was on the horizon. It simply made the most sense for the Raptors to also move in a new direction in terms of a head coach. In his spot, the Raptors hired Darko Rajakovic. After paying his dues as an assistant coach over the past nine years, bouncing between Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, and Memphis Grizzlies, Rajakovic certainly earns this opportunity.

And even though his first season with the team was rough, there is some promise that Rajakovic could be the coach of the future for the retooling Raptors. Toronto will be expected to win more than the 25 games they won this past season. With a full offseason under their retooled roster, it will be interesting to see if Rajakovic can draw up the right game plan for the team this season.

With still very much to prove as a head coach in the NBA, Rajakovic finds himself fairly low on this list for now.