While the Toronto Raptors are busy dominating Summer League, head coach Darko Rajakovic can’t help but look forward to the 2025-26 NBA season with excitement.

“There is so much cohesiveness, so much great team chemistry that we’re trying to develop,” the Raptors bench boss said Wednesday on Sportsnet’s The FAN Pregame. “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.”

Meanwhile, someone who doesn’t fall into the “up-and-coming” category but will be plenty important for the Raptors next season is Brandon Ingram.

The 27-year-old, one-time all-star, whom Toronto acquired and then promptly resigned in early February, was cleared for full contact last week after missing all but 18 games last season due to an ankle injury.

And maybe it’s because of that lengthy absence and the fact that fans north of the border have yet to see the former second-overall pick suit up for their team that Rajakovic believes his team wasn’t commended enough for adding a talent like Ingram.

“I think in general it went a little under-reported, if I can use that term,” he said when asked about what adding Ingram to the Raptors will mean. “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.

In his injury-derailed 2024-25 campaign, Ingram averaged 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists on 46.5/37.4/85.5 per cent shooting splits. Through 495 career NBA games split between the Los Angeles Lakers (190) and the New Orleans Pelicans (305), the former Most Improved Player holds averages of 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists on 46.8/36.3/78.8 splits.

The Raptors acquired Ingram at last season’s trade deadline in exchange for Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, a 2026 first-round pick via the Indiana Pacers and Toronto’s own 2031 second-rounder. About a week later, Ingram and the Raptors agreed to a three-year, $120 million extension.

“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. He spent a lot of time this off-season trying to get his health in the right place … he’s just building a strong foundation this summer that he’s going to be able to carry when the season starts.”

And it’s no secret that Ingram has plenty of confidence that he’ll be able to return without a hitch and make an impact with Toronto, saying last week that the Raptors would “make the playoffs for sure.”

While Rajakovic feels the Raptors added a game-changer in Ingram, he wasn’t quite ready to make the kind of proclamation his star forward did when asked about the team making its first playoff appearance since 2022.

“I can never promise anything,” Rajakovic explained. “What I can promise is extremely hard work, a team that’s going to be connected and playing and competing to the highest level.

We enter every single game with the ambition to win and we’re confident that we can win every single game … everything else is going to be an outcome of our hard work and togetherness we display over the course of the whole year.”

As for Toronto’s other star, Scottie Barnes, Rajakovic was equally as complimentary despite the 23-year-old’s box score numbers and scoring efficiency taking a slight dip.

“I think, actually, he made steps forward this past season,” the soon-to-be third-year head coach said. “I think he showed a lot of leadership, (he was) one of the biggest reasons why our defence took a jump and improved. It was Scottie’s commitment on that side of the floor. That identity really bleeds into our character and who we want to be as a team.”

Meanwhile, that defence-first mindset has been ever apparent as the Raptors’ catalyst as they’ve jumped out to a 3-0 start in Summer League while leading all 30 teams with a plus-17 average point differential.

“That’s exactly what we’re going to do, and there’s no backing off,” Rajakovic said of the Vegas Raptors’ ball-pressure that’s forced a whopping 87 turnovers through three games. “Our whole team breathes like that and thinks like that, and we really take a lot of pride in how we defend … all we’ve done this summer is try to take that to another level.”

The Raptors’ quest for a Summer League title continues on Thursday against the Golden State Warriors. Action begins at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.