Raptors Show Promise But Nick Nurse's 76ers Show They Remain in a Tier Above Toronto
Sometimes breakups are needed.
Nobody is looking back on Nick Nurse's tenure with the Toronto Raptors with regret. The former head coach was part of the most successful era of Raptors basketball. He joined the team in 2013 as an assistant coach, helping to spark the beginning of the We The North era. In 2018, he stepped in to replace Dwane Casey and led Toronto to its first NBA championship.
But after a decade in Toronto, five as the team’s head coach, it was time for a change.
“It felt like it was time, probably both sides,” Nurse said ahead of his return Saturday night. “I look at them play and they look like they’re playing great, and I’m really enjoying coaching this team. So I think everybody’s where they’re supposed to be.”
For the Raptors, it’s a reevaluation period. They brought in Darko Rajaković and there’s a new energy around the team. Sure, it hasn’t been smooth sailing. A 114-107 loss to Nurse’s 76ers showed there is plenty of work still to be done, but this season isn’t entirely about wins and losses. Toronto is looking for growth and Saturday had its bright spots.
Look no further than rookie first-round pick Gradey Dick who finally got on the board for his first NBA points. The 19-year-old nailed his first career field goal in the first quarter, a smooth above-the-break three, the kind there’s little doubt he’ll make hundreds of over the course of his NBA career.
"It's just another three in my career, but to say that that was my first point NBA game is something special and a dream come true that I've had since I was a little kid and first started playing basketball. So I can't wait to go talk to my brothers, my sister, and my parents about it."
Dick followed that up with a mid-range jumper, sneaking around a Precious Achiuwa handoff before rising up for the bucket. He later hit three more three-pointers, his lone significant miscue in a 16-point 5-for-8 showing came midway through the fourth when he let a pass from Pascal Siakam whiz through his hands and out of bounds.
"I see a lot of potential to develop his game," Rajaković said of Dick. "I think that he's moving without the ball really well, that he's (a) good cutter. I think that he'll be able to create off the dribble as well. I think his game is progressing."
As for Nurse, Toronto’s former head coach seems happy in his new gig. He’s back with his former Rio Grande Vipers boss Daryl Morey, now the president of the 76ers, and his team looks like one of the Eastern Conference’s best.
“It’s been energizing for me,” Nurse said pre-game. “For sure. I mean, I just don’t think there’s anything really in that other than it’s new and it’s different.”
For a while, it looked like the Raptors wanted to prove something to their former coach. Gary Trent Jr., whose defense was at times publicly criticized by Nurse, striped De’Anthony Melton, dove to the floor to get the ball, then got up and threw down an uncontested transition slam. Moments later, he nailed a transition three-pointer over a lazy closeout from Joel Embiid.
As a team, the Raptors came out shooting the lights out. They looked like a completely different team after Friday’s 1-for-17 start from three. This time, Toronto couldn’t miss, starting the game 8-for-8 from behind the arc.
Toronto pulled ahead by as many as 12 thanks to its shockingly efficient shooting, but it was the Embiid-less minutes that proved costly for the Raptors who watched Tyrese Maxey burn them from behind the arc.
Eventually, though, that hot shooting cooled and the 76ers showed they remain in a tier or two above the Raptors. Embiid took over, nailing three-pointers over Toronto’s trailing defense and then the Raptors did adjust, the reigning MVP got Precious Achiuwa to bite on his pump fake before driving right by him for an easy bucket.
A blown transition layup by Barnes that maybe should have been a foul resulted in Rajaković taking his first career technical foul and quickly Toronto found itself down double digits in the third.
"Lack of energy or tired, whatever might be the case but we just did not have the juice that stretch there," Rajaković said of the third quarter. "But we did not give up, our guys are very resilient and we continued playing all the way to the end."
Dennis Schröder nailed a pair of three-pointers to cut into Philadelphia’s lead and another Dick three on a kick-out from Schröder pulled Toronto to within five, but the Raptors’ defense couldn’t slow the 76ers’ attack. Maxey and Embiid kept at it, tallying 34 points each
What’s clear is the road ahead for the Raptors is going to be bumpy. It really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, even if a perfect preseason and a Game 1 victory allowed the team to start the season on the right foot. But a pair of losses and the continuation of these half-court woes suggest it might be a long season.
“It is going to be a journey. It's going to be a process, and we're going to stay together on that journey,” Rajaković said pre-game. “I think the most important thing for us is understanding that it's going to take some time to have clarity (with) what we really want to do.”
For the second straight night, Barnes showed that potential Toronto is hoping will lead the organization on that journey. He nailed multiple tough mid-range jumpers, the kind Nurse used to criticize him for taking and got to the rim with force in transition. He tallied 24 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in 36 minutes.
"We talked so many times about his level of talent but also I don't think it's talked enough (about) what kind of competitor he is and what he brings every single night," Rajaković said. "I think we're getting (an) amazing, amazing player in Scottie."
While Nurse and the 76ers have championship aspirations and showed as much Saturday, Toronto’s season is about building toward the future, and with Barnes, Dick, and a new head coach leading the way, the Raptors are confident they’re heading in the right direction.
"Everybody is positive right now," Barnes said. "We're just trying to keep that same energy when we win, even if we lose, just keep positive vibes, positive energy, and you can just see, nobody is giving up."
Up Next: Portland Trail Blazers
The Raptors will continue their homestand on Monday when Scoot Henderson and the Portland Trail Blazers come to town for a 7:30 p.m. ET tipoff.
