THE DEAL WITH THE EAST
Nurse ponders trade aftermath — and Raptors may not be done
The NBA is becoming more and more about roster flexibility and lineup versatility, and new Raptors coach Nick Nurse has been presented with a unique opportunity in his first year on the job. The former assistant, elevated to the No. 1 seat after Dwane Casey was fired in May, will have any number of intriguing decisions to make when he gets his team together for training camp in September. It is early, and president Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster may still have moves up their sleeves, but Nurse has to be thinking already about what precisely his lineup possibilities are. Big? Small? Quick? A bit slower? Defensive-minded? Offensively aggressive? Keep the Bench Mob together, more or less, or bust it up? Decisions, decisions, decisions. With the proviso that Nurse will do whatever he pleases and that his bosses might not be done with their alterations, here’s one way Nurse might deploy his players:
STARTERS KYLE LOWRY Point guard
Having lost his best friend in DeMar DeRozan, Lowry will be under intense scrutiny to see how he reacts and performs. Playing alongside two newcomers could actually open up spots to change his game.
DANNY GREEN Shooting guard
His three-point shooting has fallen off the last three seasons, but he’s also a 39.5-per-cent shooter from long-range and a versatile defender. He’s also been a durable starter in San Antonio for four seasons and that shouldn’t change in Toronto.
KAWHI LEONARD Small forward
Oh, the questions. Is he fully healthy? Will he be fully engaged? There may be no player in the Eastern Conference who’ll be under more scrutiny than the 27-year-old, and it’s not wrong to say he alone may determine the success or failure of the Raptors’ season.
OG ANUNOBY Power forward
The big decision. Serge Ibaka might be better suited with a more traditional — and slower paced — starting unit, but Anunoby looked OK as a summer league power forward and does provide the switchability on defence that teams covet. Nurse is going to have a tough call to make on this one.
JONAS VALANCIUNAS Centre
Nurse has worked tirelessly with Valanciunas and the stillyoung centre’s ability to make three-pointers can only enhance his usage. He’s also going to be a vital rebounder on a team that may struggle on the glass.
BACKUPS FRED VAN VLEET, DELON WRIGHT, NORM POWELL Back court
VanVleet is still going to get to finish games and is seen as a possible replacement for Lowry as a starter eventually. No reason to think he won’t continue to improve. Wright needs to become a bit tougher and not shy away from contact, but he can guard both back-court positions and his length makes him valuable. Powell is still an enigma, and there might not be any room for him no matter what his game is like this season.
C.J. MILES, SERGE IBAKA, PASCAL SIAKAM Front court
There isn’t a lot of rebounding in this group, nor is there an abundance of size, which could end up being a major problem. But Miles fought through tons of injuries and off-court distractions last season and should be better. If Siakam becomes a passable shooter and tightens up his ball-handling the sky is the limit for him, but who knows what Ibaka is going to give and how often he’ll be effective. This is the one area where problems may arise.