Having a team’s head coach and its superstar on the same page is always a big key to success. At least in that area, the Toronto Raptors seem to have nothing to worry about.
Next season, the Raptors will have a new pair of head coach-superstar combo as Nick Nurse and Kawhi Leonard have now replaced their predecessors in Dwane Casey and DeMar DeRozan, respectively. And so far, it appears that Nurse and Leonard are going along just fine, based on how their initial meeting went, according to Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star.
“I sat down and said, ‘Do you have any questions?’ And he started firing them,” Nurse said. “And it just led us to a really easygoing (conversation). Not what I was expecting. Very smart. Very intelligent. Very engaging. Really enjoyed it.”
There were fears that Leonard would sit out the entire 2018-19 season, as it was reported that the forward did not like the team the San Antonio Spurs traded to this summer. However, a later report stated that Leonard has already started his situation and is all in on helping Toronto contend for a title.
Nick Nurse sounded all in too on utilizing the full range of Leonard’s skill set, which he made sure to let the talented two-way forward know during their brief but fruitful conversation.
“It was fun to listen to his take. He asked me, ‘How are you going to use me? Where are you going to get me the ball? What do you see?’ And I told him, ‘Listen. To me, you can do pretty much everything. You can post. You can drive. You can handle it up the floor. You can play screen and roll. You can come off pindowns.’ I said, ‘Did I miss anything?’ He’s like, ‘No, that’s about it.’ I said, ‘You’ll probably be doing all that stuff.'”
The Spurs traded Leonard and veteran Danny Green to Toronto for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a future draft pick this summer, ending a saga in San Antonio that lasted for several months.