Toronto Raptors: Stock Take, injuries force to Hollis-Jefferson step up

Nick Nurse

It’s about time this one happened, really. I don’t think Nick Nurse has ever been given a fair shake in this column – purely because it caters to the stock of the players – when in actual fact, it’s about time the man himself got a shoutout in this column.

Nurse has consistently improved as the Raptors Head Coach, from the moment he walked in the building, to the moment he raised the Larry O’Brien trophy, all the way until today. This past week, Nurse was able to brush off the injuries to three key players and keep the team moving throughout an arduous West Coast road trip – with two games against the two best teams in the NBA.

Handling the minutes on the fly was no easy task, but bringing in Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to clean up was a stroke of genius. More than that, he has his guys playing hard – no matter who is on the court – and these past three games have shown that the Toronto Raptors are still a force to be reckoned with this season.

In the last three games, the Raptors have shut down LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and Damian Lillard in that order, holding them to 34 points on 9-of-38 shooting from the field. If you’re paying attention, that is some awesome defense, courtesy of Nick Nurse and his incredible roster.

VERDICT: STOCK UP