‘Interesting guys’ should help burst bubble boredom

Nick Nurse caught himself in mid-sentence when he was talking about Raptors guard Fred VanVleet, whose well-documented basketball smarts have helped turn him from an undrafted prospect into an integral part of a championship team.

It was in one of the many Zoom group interview sessions, and the queries for the head coach were about the basketball intelligence of VanVleet and how it helps make the Raptors run so smoothly.

“He’s certainly wise beyond his years,” Nurse said of the 25year-old VanVleet. And then the pause came. “He’s got incredible basketball — I don’t even have to qualify (it) — he’s got an incredible mind, very bright.”

And that is in no small part what sets the Raptors apart from many other NBA teams and contributes greatly to their championship pedigree.

Yes, basketball skills are the ultimate decider. Shooting and defending, passing and dribbling, jumping and running make good basketball players great ones and separate so-so teams from title winners.

And there’s basketball IQ, that nebulous characteristic that includes things like being able to anticipate plays before they happen, finding open teammates with passes in the cluttered areas of the court, knowing what’s needed given the time, score and in-game situation.

But there is something to be said for a greater intelligence and curiosity, the critical thinking that is necessary away from the game but that translates on to the court. The Raptors, collectively, have it.

“I just think it’s silly that I qualify it,” Nurse said. “Why do you have to throw, ‘He’s got a great basketball IQ,’ why do you have to throw basketball in front of it?

“(These are) interesting personalities, interesting guys.” The Raptors may not be unique in this regard but it’s a large part of the team dynamic that has allowed them to be so successful for so many years.

VanVleet and Norm Powell have personalized fashion lines they take a hands-on approach to running. Pascal Siakam has his own “brand” he helps manage.

Kyle Lowry sits on influential committees with the players association and was heavily involved in setting up the health and medical protocols that are in place on the NBA’s Orlando campus.

Serge Ibaka has his online cooking and interview show, a huge interest in fashion and has said he will expand his awayfrom-the-game interests to start some kind of chat show about social issues.

Marc Gasol spent part of one summer working on the crew of a migrant rescue boat in the Mediterranean as part of an NGO mission; his foundation’s work with his brother Pau has enormous reach. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson started a charter school in his hometown of Chester, Pa.

All of them, each member of the team, are heavily involved in social justice issues.

It really is quite something and it provides a greater context to life that helps when everyone is cooped up together for an NBA season.

“It definitely makes your idle time easier to pass by,” VanVleet said.

“You have different things to talk about, different things to do with each other, different things to discuss. It makes it challenging, you know, I think we all sharpen each other in one way or another.

“I think we’ve got a lot of experience on this team and guys that are passing knowledge, and then we have some young, talented guys that bring the youth and the energy, and it’s just a good mixture.

“I think that we have a very interesting group of people, and we put it all together and make it work.”

The interactions between players, between players and coaches, and between players and staff members who are stuck together for maybe more than 100 days over the summer need to be varied. They can’t sit and discuss the intricacies of play calls or defensive schemes or the merits of their opponents all day.

“I think what that does is it enables you to have many different types of conversations with them, and that’s more interesting, and … you kind of want to be around each other more, or whatever it is,” Nurse said. “They’re interesting people. They’re not only great basketball players, they’re interesting people, and it makes them fun to coach, it makes them fun to just have a conversation with.”

The Raptors beat Houston in the first of three scrimmages on Friday night and play Portland on Sunday. It is the official beginning to what could be a long, mentally exhausting stay away from family and friends. It will tax relationships as time goes on, no doubt.

“Now you’re talking about a different element in being in this situation in Disney for an extended period. How does that play out mentally?” Nurse said. “It’s a long time. I think there is a mental battle that must be fought here and (you have to) consider a plan of action of how that may play out over the next two, two-and-a-half months.”

Having other stuff to deal with, to talk about and to perhaps learn won’t hurt.