Nick Nurse’s lineup choices and adjustments
Not only will we see Nick Nurse’s offensive and defensive systems for the first time, we will also get our first opportunity to watch him as a tactician. A coaches in-game adjustments, lineup choices, and sideline X’s and O’s can be just as important as their offensive and defensive systems.
For Nurse, one area to keep an eye on is if he elects to play small. During coach Casey’s tenure the Raptors rarely played without two traditional big-men on the court. If Nurse consistently plays lineups featuring four perimeter oriented players, it may be a good indicator of how the team will look this season.
Another area where fans may experience a change from coach Casey is in terms of in-game adjustments. Casey was notoriously slow to adjust, often times sticking to his guns, rather than altering the gameplan. It’s unclear if Nurse will have the same approach.
Lastly, it will be exciting to see if Nurse has any new wrinkles out of sideline and baseline out-of-bounds sets. It’s likely he won’t show anything too serious prior to the season, but perhaps he will give the fans a tease.
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Ultimately, the Summer League is what you make of it. The games don’t matter, the talent level is not the highest, and it can become sloppy at times. It still is NBA (kinda?) Basketball in July, so just enjoy it.