Raptors’ new head coach Darko Rajakovich starts filling out his bench

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Darko Rajakovic wasted little time following through on his introductory press conference promise to surround himself with good people.

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In fact, they don’t get much better than his new lead assistant Jama Mahlalela who began his coaching career in Toronto and with the Raptors 905 before moving on to the Golden State Warriors where he was head of player development and helped them win their seventh title two seasons ago.

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It’s unclear if Rajakovic has a prior relationship with Mahlalela but his popularity here before moving on to Golden State can’t be overstated.

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Mahlalela was a constant presence on the court in practice both with the Raptors and with the G-League team in Mississauga in his one year as head coach there. He seems to share the same pride that Rajakovic spoke of having in his first meeting with the Toronto media when he said one of his greatest thrills is helping a player get better.

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Mahlalela operates the exact same way.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski who broke the story, Mahlalela slides in as Rajakovic’s lead assistant.

Also first reported by Wojnarowski is the impending arrival of another assistant for Toronto’s bench in Pat Delany who was with Rajakovic for one of his two seasons as head coach of the Tulsa 86ers.

Delany has a long-standing connection with Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford. He was on Clifford’s staffs in both Charlotte and Orlando but has spent the past two seasons in Washington with Wes Unseld Jr.

Delany got his start in the Miami Heat video room following a similar path that Erik Spoelstra followed.

Like Rajakovic he also had his turn in the D-League taking over the Sioux Falls Skyforce in 2013-14. In his one season there as head coach, Delany had a 31-19 record.

Rajakovic now has three coaches on his staff and will be looking for at least two to three more over the coming weeks.