Toronto Raptors: Complete 2018 offseason grades

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Hiring Nick Nurse

With Dwane Casey out of the picture, the next question was who would the franchise select to replace him?

At the start of the selection process, it was unclear what direction the team wanted to go in. They were initially connected to former Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer, but once he joined the Milwaukee Bucks it was clear that the team would likely promote from within.

While Jerry Stackhouse received some consideration, the team ultimately decided to go with former offensive coordinator Nick Nurse.

Nurse was originally hired as an assistant back in 2013. His work as an offensive coordinator was highly touted throughout the league. Starting with the 2014-15 season, the Raptors’ offense finished third, fifth, sixth and third, respectively.

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One of the reasons last season’s offense was so highly praised was the willingness of the team to change something that had been very successful for them. The offense had been efficient, but easy to scheme against once you entered a playoff setting. The Raptors went from 29th in assist ratio in 2016-17, to sixth last season — a change that was supposed to result in more playoff success.

Despite a strong resume, the decision to promote internally when the goal is to reset the team’s culture welcomed some skepticism. We don’t know the dynamics within the previous coaching hierarchy, so it’s tough to speculate whether Nurse’s message and philosophy will be dramatically different than Casey. Will the message that seemed to fall on deaf ears in the playoffs ring more true coming from Nurse?

The upcoming season will prove to be a pivotal one for the Raptors. Despite the perceptions of some fans, nobody in the league is truly unqualified. Nurse is a brilliant basketball mind with a strong resume to become a head coach. However, the ability to connect with the players and generate buy-in is usually what determines whether or not you are successful as a head coach.

Nurse now faces a tough challenge for a rookie head coach. Not only must he get buy-in from the returning players, but he needs to create a positive relationship with a superstar that is lukewarm on the idea of playing in Toronto.

He must establish his voice and identity as a coach, manage the personalities in the roster, and manage high expectations for a team that risks losing their best player if they have a disappointing season. We’ll get into Kawhi Leonard shortly, but it’s fair to wonder if the team would have gone with a rookie head coach if they knew they would be acquiring the enigmatic star.

Grade: C+

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