Nick Nurse cut down the Toronto Raptors to a strict 6-man rotation in Game 4 against the Philadelphia 76ers. If he decides to go back to a 7-man rotation in Game 5, who should get the nod?
One of the more frustrating storylines in the playoffs is the Toronto Raptors inability to get anything out of their bench.
So far, the likes of Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell and Serge Ibaka have all struggled to find their rhythm and as a result, Nick Nurse shortened the rotation to six men in Game 4, with Serge Ibaka getting the bulk of the minutes. And, to Nurse’s credit, it worked.
Ibaka was one of the main features as the Raptors bounced back in one of the most important games in franchise history, defeating the Sixers 101-96 and tying the series at two games apiece.
With Serge playing 32 minutes in the game, partly by design and partly to step in for the suffering Pascal Siakam, the remaining minutes were scrambled together and given to VanVleet, Powell and Patrick McCaw.
And out of those three players, it was VanVleet who saw the most time on the court. But even then, Fred only clocked in for seven minutes of court time, and he posted +/- of -6 in that period.
The Raptors were bailed out by the fact that only James Ennis showed up for the 76ers bench, but so far this series we’ve seen big games from Ennis, Greg Monroe – yes, that Greg Monroe – and Mike Scott. The 76ers bench had consistently outplayed their counterparts across the first three games of the series, but with Nick Nurse cutting down the extra minutes, the Raptors found success.
It’s more than likely that Nurse will roll out a seven-man rotation in Game 5, though. Which begs the question:
Who gets that final spot?