NBA
Raptors Coach Says Team ‘Didn’t Get Enough Credit’ For Adding Brandon Ingram
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All posts by Antonio KozlowUpdated9 hours ago on July 21, 2025
The Raptors had quite exciting Summer League performances until they finally were eliminated this past weekend in the tournament’s semifinals in Las Vegas. However, there had been a lot of positive takeouts from their participation, as their head coach is already looking forward for the 2025-26 campaign.
Darko Rajakovic was amazed by how well the Toronto squad competed these past weeks. “There is so much cohesiveness, so much great team chemistry that we’re trying to develop,” he shared. “I think seeing guys take that to another level this Summer League is very exciting … we have so many young and up-and-coming players.”
However, we wanted to praise a new recruit who doesn’t fall into the “up-and-coming” category. Back in February, the organization acquired Brandon Ingram from New Orleans, and Darko is convinced that the media hasn’t given them enough credit for trading this one-time All-Star.
Rajakovic believes that the reason behind this is the 27-year-old’s absence last season due to an ankle injury. “I think in general it went a little under-reported, if I can use that term,” the Serbian tactician said about Brandon, who has only played 18 matches for the club.
He then added: “Our organization did not get enough credit for having the ability to, first of all, trade for this player and then to sign him on a long-term deal. I think it’s going to be very positive for our organization and for our team.”
During these two months with the team, Ingram averaged 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists, while shooting 46.5% from the field and 37.4% from beyond the arc. In his career, the former Most Improved Player played 190 games for the Lakers and 305 contests for the Pelicans.
Toronto acquired him during the last trade deadline in exchange for Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk. “He’s been in the league for quite some time … (but) he’s still a very young player, I really see a lot of room for his growth,” Rajakovic added. “He’s very committed, working really hard.”
