Toronto Raptors: Meet the new assistant coach hires

The Toronto Raptors filled out the rest of Nick Nurse’s first coaching staff on Wednesday, giving them less than three months to prepare for the season.

No personnel move will be debated by the Toronto Raptors more than the acquisition of superstar Kawhi Leonard last week.

Arguably no decision was more important than the one the team made on Wednesday, though.

After all, players only succeed if they’re surrounded by the right motivators.

In a press release, the Raptors announced the hiring of four assistant coaches: Nate Bjorkgren, Adrian Griffin, Phil Handy and Sergio Scariolo; Eric Khoury, Patrick Mutumbo and Jim Sann were already confirmed to be part of Nick Nurse’s first NBA staff.

How each of Wednesday’s new hires affect the team could make the difference between an NBA Finals run and another postseason disappointment in Toronto.

“They have a blend of experiences that will give our team a unique perspective,” Nurse stated in the press release.

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Bjorkgren has some familiarity with the franchise already, joining the Raptors the previous season as an advance scout. He also has familiarity with Nurse, serving under him with the G League’s Iowa Energy a decade ago. His presence will enhance a sense of continuity that comes with keeping most of the team’s core.

Bjorkgren previously served as an assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns, where he was let go in the franchise’s abrupt reaction to an 0-3 start at the beginning of the 2017-18 season.

Griffin has no discernible ties to the franchise or coach, but he does have a wealth of experience as an assistant coach. Toronto will be the fifth stop in his NBA coaching journey, and his fourth in the Eastern Conference.

He most recently spent the last two seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, learning under Billy Donovan. He should quickly emerge as a voice of reason and top lieutenant for a rookie coach.

Handy has worn many hats for the Cleveland Cavaliers over the past half decade, from player development to assistant coaching. Perhaps he saw the writing on the wall this offseason and decided he would be better off north of the border.

Interestingly enough, he was an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers several years ago. Therefore, he can provide unique perspective on the good – and the bad – of playing for the NBA’s glamour franchise.

In other words, meet the man set to poison the Los Angeles pool for Kawhi Leonard.

Scariolo is the real wild card of the quad.

The Italian has led a number of prominent European league teams to glory. For much of the last decade, he did the same with the Spanish national team, taking them to the Gold Medal Game of the 2012 Summer Olympics.

He has spent a grand total of zero minutes coaching in the United States. Then again, that won’t change much since half of his team’s games will be Canada.

His career reinvention may coincide with a massive invigoration for the Raptors.

There’s no shortage of intrigue with the new Toronto Raptors coaching staff. Now, they’ll be tasked with mending the problems of the previous one.