Darko Rajakovic makes a joke about being too good at too many things / News - Basketnews.com

Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic joked that if a player is really good at three things, he's an All-Star, but if the player thinks he's really good at four things, he's out of the NBA and playing in Europe.

Credit: Chris Young/The Canadian Press via ZUMA Press Credit Chris Young/The Canadian Press via ZUMA Press

Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic praised Scottie Barnes, saying that the 22-year-old is so good that he's having a problem with it.

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"It is good, but at the same time, it's a problem. He has so many trades and things he can do at a high level," Rajakovic told the reporters.

However, the Serbian coach believes being good at too many things could cause an unexpected turn in any player's career.

"I always say, if you're really good at one thing in the NBA, you gonna find your contract, you gonna survive in this league.

If you're really good at two things, you are a heck of a player. If you're really good at three things – you are an All-Star. If you think you are really good at four things, you're probably out of the league and playing in Europe," Rajakovic noted, making everyone in the press room laugh.

"You cannot be extremely good at everything. That's a problem I'm having because he's [Barnes] good at multiple things. We have to find 2 or 3 of those things that he's gonna really take a jump to the next level and become an All-Star player, which I believe he is," Rajakovic added.

After being asked to name these 2-3 things about Barnes, Rajakovic said it's still a process.

"We are still figuring it out, but as you can see, he's such a good driver to the rim, he's really good at connecting with his teammates. Sometimes, playing him in a position where he can set the screen and roll opens up a lot of things for us. It's a still process, he's still 22 years old, and I'm a 1st-year coach figuring it out," Rajakovic concluded.

This season, Barnes averages 20.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game in 12 appearances for the Raptors.

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