Creativity becomes a survival mechanism
Nick Nurse does not seem like the type of guy who is afraid of failure. He’s a creative thinker, someone willing to experiment even when operating under the spotlight. If one of his moves doesn’t work, it’s viewed less as a setback and more a lesson learned for another day.
There has always been a certain openness and flexibility to Nurse’s coaching style. Last year, the originality was mostly by choice. Serge Ibaka was moved to centre where he split time with Jonas Valanciunas and later Marc Gasol. There were two-centre lineups, two point-guard lineups and a constant flow of evolving schemes on both ends of the floor.
The load management of Kawhi Leonard from a season ago presented challenges, but nothing like the ones Nurse has faced this year. Creativity is no longer a luxury, it’s a requirement to get through the day. It’s the second week of January, the season is almost half over, and there have been two games when Toronto’s core was at full health. Despite it all, the Raptors sat fourth in the Eastern Conference before Wednesday’s 112-110 overtime win in Charlotte.
Of the projected eight-man rotation at the start of camp, only OG Anunoby has missed fewer than six games. The rest — Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Norm Powell, Patrick McCaw, Serge Ibaka, Pascal Siakam and Marc Gasol — have been cycling in and out. Every time one player returns, another goes down.
“It gets frustrating at the beginning of it, but it’s life right now,” Nurse conceded this week. “I don’t like to live frustrated. I don’t get out of bed saying, ‘Oh, darn, Fred’s not playing tonight.’ I just got to accept what you got. And try to start to get your wheels turning on how the rotations are going to look, and who can guard who, and what defences you can play.”
Nurse is quick to point out one man’s injury is another man’s chance, and there have been seemingly endless opportunities to hand out of late. Toronto has used 17 players this season, and only two — Shamorie Ponds and Dewan Hernandez — haven’t been called upon for a significant role in at least a couple of games.
When Nurse took over as head coach, he was billed as someone who would think outside the box. Traditional game plans remained present but were often used as the starting point for something more unique. During last year’s championship run, each series saw different lineups and approaches based on the required style of play. Toronto had the talent, Nurse helped it gain enough versatility.
The frequent adjustments this year
have been more out of necessity than free will. There was a stretch during Toronto’s 101-99 loss to the Blazers on Thursday when Patrick McCaw was running the point alongside Matt Thomas, Oshae Brissett, Stanley Johnson and Chris Boucher. That’s not exactly a who’s who of Raptors basketball, and yet Toronto’s bench outscored Portland’s 36-32.
Predictably, for an undermanned team, there have been negatives, too. A 14-point lead slipped away against the Blazers, and a winnable game turned into a frustrating loss. With no firm timeline for the returns of Siakam, Gasol, Powell and now VanVleet, life isn’t about to get easier any time soon. A least for now, this is about survival.
“We’ve got great guys, young kids going out there and trying to prove their worth, go out there and execute and play,” Lowry said. “We’ve just got to continue to get better. Hopefully, these guys get healthy and get out there. We’ve just got to play with what we have.”
In addition to being creative, Nurse also has proven in a relatively short period of time that he doesn’t mind being a disciplinarian, either. Whether it’s behind closed doors, through the media or by the number of minutes he dishes out on any given night, Nurse hasn’t hesitated to send a message when he thinks one is required.
During the pre-season, Nurse openly questioned the work ethic and desire of Johnson and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. The brutal honesty made headlines. After Tuesday’s loss Nurse was at it again, this time after he was asked about Terence Davis being limited to eight minutes. Nurse bluntly stated it was “probably five too many” and that his rookie guard is “not playing very well.”
When taken at face value, those comments might seem problematic. The relationship between coach and player can be challenging enough when things are going well, and one might reasonably think a quote like that could cause a rift. But Nurse has proven that while he won’t hesitate to dish out tough love, he’s also not one to keep a player in his doghouse for long without cause.
Hollis-Jefferson responded by earning his minutes and becoming a valuable piece of Nurse’s rotation. The likely hope here is that it will light a similar fire under Davis, who has proven valuable at times but hadn’t received more than 16 minutes while averaging just four points over his last three games entering the Charlotte game. He started and played 37 minutes against the Hornets, finishing with 23 points.
“It’s all just like, figure out what’s going on … figure out who’s playing with energy on the night, figure out which group looks good together if we can, and do the best we can with it,” Nurse said.
There’s a lot of uncertainty on and off the floor these days. Nurse is the one constant, and the Raptors should feel fortunate his steady hand is guiding them through this difficult stretch. There is going to be some failure ahead, but if Toronto does enough to hang on, the organization might be better off because of it when the big names return.