Nick Nurse reunites with 2019 Raptors champion on 76ers

Nick Nurse and the Toronto Raptors may have leaned on Kawhi Leonard to secure the lone championship in franchise history, but the play of shooting guard Danny Green and his positive impact on the team’s infrastructure can’t be understated.

Green’s three championship rings signify the fact that he consistently contributes to winning basketball. Even though his physical skills may have started to wane with age, his ability to rise up from anywhere and connect on 3-pointers will give him a very long NBA career, should he want to continue.

As Nurse tries to show the Raptors they made a mistake by firing him and allowing him to join the Philadelphia 76ers, it appears that he needed one more veteran mouthpiece who can help augment Philadelphia’s collection of shooters. Green was available, and Nurse pounced.

Green signed a one-year deal with the 76ers, making this his second season with Philadelphia and his second season under Nurse’s tutelage. Due to injuries, Green played just 11 games last season, which was split between the Memphis Grizzlies and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Former Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse signs Danny Green to 76ers.

Green averaged 10.3 points per game (which is still the third-best single-season mark in his long career) while drilling an insane 45.5% of his 3-pointers during his one-year tenure. A consistent starter and veteran presence, Green proved to be more than just a Leonard trade throw-in.

Green already has three championship rings, including a Raptors one he is on the record as saying he values more than his Lakers and Spurs jewelry. Be it the thought of a fourth ring to slip on his finger, a paycheck, or the love of the game, Green is lacing it up one more time.

The 76ers might not lean on Green as heavily as they did during his first go-around with the team, but Nurse will always be looking to rely on a veteran shooter with prior experience. Toronto’s matchups with Philly could be even tougher to stomach if they lose to Nurse and Green at the same time.

Green helped the Raptors hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy thanks to some timely shot-making and veteran leadership that helped keep the temperature in the room at a reasonable rate. Green may not be at his physical best, but he has enough left to play a role with Philadelphia this season.

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