Toronto Raptors: It’s time for Nick Nurse to tinker with the rotation
Chris Boucher
After a career game vs San Antonio, Chris Boucher was reduced to just 5 minutes of action in the Raptors’ most recent loss to the 76ers. Although Boucher was replaced with Len due to the matchups with Philadelphia’s bigs, there is no reason to only play him the amount that he was. Alex Len was formidable defensively but brings very little to the table in terms of offense, and one of the Raptors’ biggest issues this season so far has been getting scoring, especially later in games.
In the minutes that he has played, Boucher has been one of the teams most dynamic players on both sides of the ball, and even in games such as the last one where the matchup was not ideal, Nick Nurse needs to find a way to make Boucher one of the first players off of the bench moving forward. The energy he provides as well as his ability to shoot effectively from 3 makes him an asset the Raptors need to use, especially when his confidence is sky high coming off of an incredible performance.
Malachi Flynn
After averaging 10.3 PTS and 4.0 AST in 17 MPG in the preseason, Toronto Raptors first-round pick Malachi Flynn became a fan favorite for his immediate impact. Masai Ujiri and company have had an incredible run of form when it comes to the draft, and so it came as no surprise that Flynn looked like a capable player, but his confidence level that early into his NBA career was impressive.
Despite his stellar performances in the preseason, Nick Nurse is yet to give Malachi Flynn any significant minutes off of the bench, when even as a rookie, Flynn could likely come in and give the Raptors a lift.
Toronto’s main issues this season have been with Kyle Lowry off of the floor, and with Fred VanVleet struggling mightily in two of the first three games, it would make sense to give Flynn some run with the backup unit. It will be crucial to not rush Malachi into the fold too quickly, and that may be why Nurse has not elected to give him time, but a few minutes throughout the game when Lowry is sitting could be what the second unit needs to find some life. After an 0-3 start, there is no excuse to not give Flynn a chance moving forward, and if he makes the most of it, he should become a piece of the rotation, no matter how small that piece is.