Warriors assistant coach Jama Mahlalela hired by Raptors as top assistant coach

By Andrew Bancroft June 16, 2023 32 mins read 229 Views

Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

Dubs are losing their director of player development.
After being hired by the Golden State Warriors away from the Toronto Raptors to become their director of player development, assistant coach Jama Mahlalela is returning to the Toronto Raptors after two seasons with Steve Kerr’s coaching staff.

This time, he’ll be a top assistant behind new Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković, sharing that role with Washington Wizards assistant Pat Delany.

The Toronto Raptors are hiring Wizards assistant Pat Delany and Warriors assistant Jama Mahlalela as top assistant coaches on Darko Rajakovic’s new staff, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 15, 2023

After Mike Brown’s departure after the 2021-22 championship season, Mahlalela was promoted to a front-bench assistant who was in charge of the rotation pattern, much like what Brown did (in addition to his defensive coordinator duties).

Mahlalela is credited with helping the development of current Raptors stalwarts Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet, both of whom became important pieces in the Raptors’ 2019 NBA Championship run. The Warriors saw his value as a developmental specialist and hired him to oversee the development of their own young pieces in Jordan Poole, James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody.

Poole broke out during his third season, while Kuminga flashed potential as an athletic two-way wing. Moody proved himself a legitimate rotation contributor who just needed chances to show as such.

Wiseman never really developed into the kind of franchise big the organization was hoping he could become, even while Mahlalela and fellow assistant Dejan Milojević reportedly spent a lot of developmental time on the former Warriors prospect.

Mahlalela returns to the organization that jumpstarted his NBA career. He started as a member of the Raptors’ community development staff, was eventually promoted to an assistant coach role in 2013-14, and was appointed head coach of the Raptors’ G League affiliate, Raptors 905.

Mahlalela leaves the Warriors as a two-time NBA Champion, having won titles with the Raptors in 2019 and the Warriors in 2022.

References:

By: Joe Viray
Title: Warriors assistant coach Jama Mahlalela hired by Raptors as top assistant coach
Sourced From: www.goldenstateofmind.com/2023/6/15/23762955/warriors-news-jama-mahlalela-assistant-coach-toronto-raptors
Published Date: 06-16-2023

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Toronto Raptors called Raptors

The NBA's expansion in Canada led to the 1995 founding of Toronto Raptors. The film Jurassic Park inspired the name and logo. The team colours are bright red, purple, black, and silver.

The Raptors finished their first season with a 21-61 record. This was due to the team's inability to find their feet in the league. However, the team improved each year, and by 1999, they had made their first playoff appearance.

The Raptors' most memorable moment was in 2019, when they won the NBA championship title. Led by the backcourt duo of Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard, Toronto won their first championship in a thrilling six-game series against the Golden State Warriors.

Since then, Canada's most loved sports team, the Raptors, have been an institution. Toronto continues to provide excitement to basketball fans worldwide, whether they are international superstars or homegrown talent.

The Toronto Raptors are an integral part of Canada's basketball legacy. Their success on court inspires young athletes across Canada. The Raptors are a beloved team in Canada thanks to their passion, unmatched style of play and dedication to excellence.

What was the Toronto Raptors' first season?

The Toronto Raptors suffered a poor debut season. They won only 21 games. The 1995-1996 Toronto Raptors season was the inaugural season of the Toronto Raptors in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Raptors were among two expansion teams that joined the league in 1995, alongside the Vancouver Grizzlies. This was also the first NBA-level season.

Isiah, an All-Star point guard who is also a Detroit Pistons legend, was appointed the team's General manager. He helped draft Damon Stoudamire to be named Rookie and Year. In separate trades they also acquired Tracy Murray, Oliver Miller and Oliver Miller. Thomas also introduced a new primary logo of a dinosaur playing basketball and new pinstripe uniforms with the logo on the front of their jerseys. The Raptors have added purple and red colors to their colour scheme.

Brendan Malone, the new head coach of the Raptors, won the Raptors' first game on November 3, against the New Jersey Nets at SkyDome. However, they lost seven of their next seven games.

Murray was second on the team for scoring, with an average of 16.2 points per contest. He also led the team by scoring 151 three-point field goal attempts during that season. Miller provided the team with 12.9 points, 7 .4 rebounds, 1 .4 steals, and 1 .9 blocks per game, and Robertson contributed 9 .3 points, 4 .4 rebounds, four assists and two steals per game off the bench.

Despite having one the worst records in league, their attendance was excellent, at an average of over 17283 per game at SkyDome, now Rogers Centre.

How did the Raptors win the NBA title in 2019?

DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors), Jakob Poltl as well as a protected 2019 first round draft pick were traded to the San Antonio Spurs by the Toronto Raptors on July 18, 2018.

On February 7, 2019, Jonas Valanciunas was traded to the Raptors for Delon Wright, C.J. Miles, and a 2024 draft pick to Memphis Grizzlies were traded to Marc Gasol (another multiple All-Star player and former Defensive Player-of-the-Year) and Jeremy Lin shortly thereafter.

The Toronto Raptors had a very eventful offseason, making two big trades that sent shockwaves through the NBA. DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poltl and a 2019 first round draft pick (that was not protected) were first traded by the Raptors to the San Antonio Spurs. In exchange for those players, they received Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green from the Spurs. They then traded Jonas Valanciunas for Delon Wright, C.J. Miles and a 2024 second-round pick were traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Marc Gasol, another multiple All-Star and former Defensive player of the year. These moves place the Raptors at the forefront of the race for a NBA title. Let's examine each trade.

Kawhi Leonard's trade to the Raptors was risky but a good move. Leonard is an MVP-caliber player when healthy, and he's a top-5 player in league. However, Leonard only played nine games last season because of injury and it is unclear if he will continue to play. However, the Raptors decided the reward was well worth the risk and settled for the deal. Leonard has been healthy thus far and is playing at an All Star standard. Leonard averages 26 points and 8 rebounds per game. He also shoots 49% from behind the arc and 38% at three-point range. If he is healthy, the Raptors have a chance to win the NBA title this season.

The trade for Marc Gasol was more of a short-term move than anything else. Gasol is in his mid-30s and is clearly past his prime. Yet, he is still a solid player who can bring valuable experience to a young Raptors roster. He averages 15 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists per contest while shooting 45% from 3-point range and 34% from the field. C.J., Delon Wright and other young talents were given up by the Raptors. Miles to acquire Gasol, but they believe his experience will be invaluable come playoff time.

The Raptors started the season with a 6-0 record. They won their 16th game against Cleveland Cavaliers on November 23rd. This broke their franchise record of 20 consecutive wins. On December 1, they reached 20 wins faster than ever before. Also, after defeating Washington Wizards 140-138 in double overtime on January 13, the Raptors set a franchise record for scoring the most points in franchise history. The Raptors were cautious with Leonard, resting him for more than 20 games throughout the season to prevent worsening his previous injury. However, they managed to capture 2nd place in East, only trailing behind Milwaukee Bucks.

The Raptors made a strong run in the playoffs and defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in Milwaukee Bucks' finals. Leonard was named Finals Champion and the Raptors took home their first title.

The Toronto Raptors' offseason was a success, and it has paid off. Two All-Stars are on the roster and the Raptors look poised to be contenders in the years ahead. They have proven that they are willing to take risks and make bold moves if it means creating a championship-calibre team. It will interesting to see if their success continues in the future.

Who is the owner of Toronto Raptors?

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the owners of this team, owns it. MLSE also owns Toronto FC's NHL team, Toronto FC's MLS team, and the Toronto Argonauts CFL team.

How did the Toronto Raptors fare after Kawhi Leonard's departure?

It was a banner year for the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors won 53 consecutive games during the 2020 season. All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry was the key to the team's success. He averaged 19.7 points and 7.5 assists per game. Lowry was joined by fellow All-Star forward Pascal Siakam, who averaged 22.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Norman Powell and Fred VanVleet were also strong role players for the Raptors. The team's talent and depth helped them overcome injuries to key players, such as Serge Ibaka & Marc Gasol.

The team was led and managed by Nick Nurse, Coach of the Year, and Pascal Siakam, All-NBA Second Teamer. . Siakam, who averaged almost 20+ points per match, made bold strategic decision that paid off. Kyle Lowry had been selected to the 2020 NBA All-Star team, his sixth consecutive selection.

The playoffs kicked off later than usual, this year in August at the Bubble in Bay Lake (Florida), near Orlando. The Raptors defeated the Brooklyn Nets in round one and won 4-0. They lost 0-2 to Boston Celtics, but OG Anunoby made a thrilling comeback to win Toronto the 3rd game. The series ended up going to seven games with Boston winning.

How many Toronto Raptors all-stars did they have?

Vince Carter, Antonio Davis (Raptors), DeMar DeRozan (5 Raptors), Kyle Lowry (4 Raptors), Kawhi Leonard (3 Raptors), Pascal Siakam (2 Raptors) and Fred VanVleet (8 Raptors All stars). Apart from Davis and VanVleet they all have made it to other NBA teams like Leonard.

What is the name of the Toronto Raptors' mascot?

The Toronto Raptors were founded in 1995 as an NBA team. They play their games at Scotiabank Arena.

Raptor is the Raptors' mascot. He is a giant, red dinosaur. Raptor, who was introduced in 1995, entertains his fans with his acrobatics as well as slam dunks. Raptor also appears at community events and charity events throughout Toronto. He was honored with the NBA Mascot of the YEAR award for his years of service to the Raptors. Raptor is a well-known figure in Toronto, as well as around the NBA. This makes him one of professional sports' most popular mascots. He has also become an international symbol of Canada's basketball fandom.

Many in the country and throughout the city share Raptor’s enthusiasm for his team as well as its fans. Raptor has led the Raptors to become one of the most successful NBA teams, winning their first title in 2019. This victory marked a huge milestone for basketball fans in Toronto and Canada. Raptor is a source of pride for all Raptors family members. Raptors pride is guaranteed to continue as long as the Raptors are around. Long live the Raptor! Go, Toronto Raptors!

Statistics

By 2018, estimated the Raptors were worth $1.4 billion, 12th in the NBA. (en.wikipedia.org)
This improved during the 2006–07 regular season to an average of 18,258 fans (13th in the league), 92.2 percent capacity at the Air Canada Centre. (en.wikipedia.org)
By 2018, estimated the Raptors were worth $1.4 billion, 12th in the NBA. (en.wikipedia.org)
As predicted by analysts, the team easily secured a berth in the 2001 NBA playoffs with a franchise-high 47 wins. (en.wikipedia.org)
In November of the 1996–97 season, Bitove sold his ownership interest in the team to Slaight for $65 million after Slaight had activated a shotgun clause in their partnership agreement,[32][33] giving Slaight 79 percent control of the team, [34] (en.wikipedia.org)

External Links

How To

Tips on where to eat before the Toronto Raptors game at Scotiabank Arena

Avoiding excess food before a game can be the best way to eat. You will find plenty of food in the arena, so if hunger strikes after arriving, you can get some.

A variety of concessions can be found along the concourse, as well as the stands. There are some places that only serve beer while others offer hot dogs, pizza, and other food options.

The concession stand that serves nachos is a very popular option. These cheesy snacks contain toppings such as jalapenos, cheese sauce, sour cream, and bacon bits.

You can also buy tickets for a pre-game party. These events are hosted by many restaurants, where guests can enjoy food before they enter the arena.

The arena is near a barbeque joint that offers great local food. There are pulled pork sandwiches, chicken wings and ribs on the menu.

You will find many fast food outlets nearby, including Subway and Tim Hortons.

There are many healthy options for those who don't like greasy food. Freshii is an example of a noteworthy restaurant. Freshii is a chain that specializes in organic wraps and fresh salads.

Other options include juice shops and sushi bars.

There are many coffee shops and frozen yogurt parlours located just across the street, if you want to grab something to eat instead of a cup of coffee.

No matter what you're craving, there are plenty of places to eat before and during the Toronto Raptors game. Make sure to leave yourself enough time to get through security and find your seat!

Have fun cheering home and thanks for reading. Go Raptors Enjoy the game