1. Nick Nurse continues to impress
While the Raptors gig is Nurses’ first head coaching job in the NBA, the role itself is not foreign to the 51-year-old native of Carrol, Iowa. He practically created a team in the NBA’s G-League (previously the D-League), and Nurse also spent 11 seasons coaching overseas where he was twice named Coach of the Year in the British Basketball League (1999-00 & 2003-04).
Whether it be his coaching style or fashion pizzaz, Nurse has more than exceeded expectations so far in his first season behind an NBA bench. His ability to communicate with his players sets him apart from other first-year bench bosses, and as such, calling him a “rookie head coach” is true only on a technicality. In actuality, Nurse is a seasoned vet.
When he was hired, many people, including myself, were skeptical. I spent the better part of last year pumping the tires of Jerry Stackhouse, who took an assistant job in Memphis after not being selected as Dwane Casey’s successor. Nurse has worked wonders with this team in such a short amount of time, and as much as adding Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green helps things, NN still needed to make everything fit.
Most figured the Toronto Raptors would be good in 2018-19, but it was far from a given at the start of the season just how good they would be. Nurse has them playing unparalleled basketball at the moment*.
He was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month after Toronto posted a 12-3 record in November. He also appeared on a recent episode of Danny Green’s “Inside the Green Room” podcast. You can watch it here.
*Brooklyn game not included