Ahead of their duel against the LA Clippers, Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse reflected on the 2019 title run with Kawhi Leonard.
Nurse said that he has a lot of favorite moments with Leonard. He got to know the two-time Finals MVP both as a player and a person through various meetings and encounters.
“There were a lot of them. I had some really cool kind of 1-on-1 meetings with him where I got some insight on who he is as a player and as a person.”
Raptors coach Nick Nurse on his favorite moment with Kawhi Leonard last year aside from the NBA title – “There were a lot of them. I had some really cool kind of 1-on-1 meetings with him where I got some insight on who he is as a player and as a person.”#Clippers pic.twitter.com/WeYXAB7xgP
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) November 12, 2019
The Nurse and Leonard partnership lasted for just one year. And it was enough to bring a title to Toronto. Perhaps Nurse hasn't received much credit in this regard.
Everyone was pretty much impressed by Masai Ujiri's courage in trading for Leonard last year. He pushed through despite the fact that Leonard was in a contract year.
But Nurse, too, was in a risky situation as well. From an assistant coach, he took over the head coaching job for a team that has endured years of frustration as a second-fiddle team in the East. Another year of failing to snag the title would've likely triggered the front office to press the reset button.
But through Nurse's guidance and effort to co-exist with Leonard, the Raptors got that elusive Larry O'Brien trophy. And even after the short-lived Leonard era, the Raptors are still relevant and can still be considered a title contender. And Nurse should be given tons of credit.
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