While they had consistently been among the NBA's top 15 defenses during the Nick Nurse era, the Raptors slipped to 26th in the field for Darko Rajakovic's first campaign.
Obviously, the changes in the workforce are the main cause, but Davion Mitchell wants to change that.
“This year I want to try to bring leadership, a defensive, dog mentality, to do all the little things on the field” explains the one who was recovered by Toronto with Jamal Shead and Sasha Vezenkov, against Jalen McDaniels. “My whole career, every team I’ve been on, I’ve been the guy that brings energy. I’m there to put pressure on the ball quickly, to set an example for others. Nobody wants to be the guy that doesn’t play hard, so to bring that energy, it shows something.”
Give the example
After spending a few days in Toronto following his transfer, the 9th pick in the 2021 Draft joined the Raptors in Las Vegas, where he can train with the franchise's young players. And find his feet.
“We're trying to get him up to speed quickly on how we work, how we communicate, how we manage things here in Toronto.”explains Darko Rajakovic. “We are very happy to welcome him.”
Because even if Davion Mitchell has not become the player that the Kings hoped for, the Raptors need this type of “role players” who will set an example defensively to the young players in the squad.
“It's not just about him, it's about all the other players”concludes Darko Rajakovic. “Everybody has to get better. We work a lot over the summer to improve on-ball defense, aggression. We really, really try to find as many players as possible that are on both ends of the floor. We call them the most important players. The most important guy is the one who defends on the ball. He makes everybody else’s job easier. And we really try to develop every player on our team to be able to do a better job.”
| Davion Mitchell | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2021-22 | BAG | 75 | 28 | 41.8 | 31.6 | 65.9 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 4.2 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 11.5 |
| 2022-23 | BAG | 80 | 18 | 45.4 | 32.0 | 80.6 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 5.6 |
| 2023-24 | BAG | 72 | 15 | 45.2 | 36.1 | 71.4 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 5.3 |
| Total | 227 | 20 | 43.4 | 32.7 | 70.3 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 7.4 | |
How to read the stats? GM = Games Played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots Made / Shots Attempted; 3pts = 3-pointers / 3-pointers Attempted; LF = Free Throws Made / Free Throws Attempted; Off = Offensive Rebound; Def = Defensive Rebound; Tot = Total Rebounds; Pd = Assists; Fte: Personal Fouls; Int = Steals; Bp = Loose Balls; Ct: Blocks; Pts = Points.
