A good problem to have
DALLAS — All of a sudden, Nick Nurse has a lot of options.
With the Raptors getting healthier than at just about any point all season, that means there will be nights where good players don’t see the court, as was the case with Delon Wright in Friday’s loss at Houston.
“You guys know how it is. You lose by two points and, ‘Well why didn’t you play Delon?’ If we won that by two points nobody would be asking that question,” Nurse said of pushback on Wright sitting out.
“But, I get it. You can’t play everybody. And like I said, it’s the guys, for me, that are going to bring it, and it’s Delon’s still included in that group. There’s still some opportunity for guys to prove they are going to bring it, defend the way we want. Execute the game plan the way that we want. Play on the balls of their feet on offence and not on their heels. Step into shots, take
’em and make ’em. Play with some serious aggression, passion and commitment to being in a rotation of a really, really good team.”
Nurse was speaking for any of his reserves. Not everyone can play, so everyone will have to bring as much as possible to the table to earn a place in the rotation.
Having other players out has helped the team evaluate many things, according to Nurse. Like “personnel, rotations. What we can do, what we can’t do. Who we can count on. All those kind of things,” he explained.
“I’m sure we’re going to have some more guys in and out (due to injuries). But, yeah, we got to now know that who is going to play as tough as we need them to play. Who is going to execute like we need them to execute. We need to execute like we’re capable of. Close games or not. At both ends of the floor. Those are the things you are going to start tightening up or focusing on.”
There appeared to be good news for the Raptors on the Danny Green front. The starting shooting guard jammed his left hand on James Harden’s shoulder against Houston and got it checked out on Saturday, but he was listed as probable for Sunday’s tilt against the Mavericks.