The Toronto Raptors are coming off the best season in franchise history in 2018-19, after bringing a championship outside the United States for the first time in history.
Of course, once the 2019 NBA Playoffs were finished, Raptors star and Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard vamoosed for Los Angeles to become a member of the Clippers with Paul George, but the beat goes on in Jurassic Park for the Raps and its fans.
One notable hiring was recently announced via Stadium for the Raptors. Per Shams Charania of Stadium, Toronto has promoted Data Analyst Brittni Donaldson to Assistant Coach, making here one of ten female assistants currently in the NBA.
REPORT: Sources say #Raptors data analyst Brittni Donaldson is expected to join Nick Nurse’s staff in a coaching capacity, per our NBA Insider @ShamsCharania.
There are currently 9 female assistants in the #NBA. pic.twitter.com/4QmuMgeSWO
— Stadium (@Stadium) September 7, 2019
In a separate coaching move, Blake Murphy of The Athletic reported that Eric Khoury will move to the team’s G-League squad, Raptors 905, to serve in a larger assistant coaching role.
Eric Khoury, who had previously moved from the analytics team to the bench, is expected to move Raptors 905 in a larger assistant role, per a source.
Smart moves all around to keep staff developing in-house and continue to improve consistency of approach/msssage throughout org.
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) September 7, 2019
Donaldson, like head coach Nick Nurse and fellow assistant coach Nate Bjorkgren, is a native Iowan, bringing the team’s brain trust even closer together after delivering a championship to Toronto.
Last season, the Raptors finished only one win shy of their franchise best of 59, which was set in 2017-18 with a vastly different supporting cast.
Raptors President of Basketball Operations Masai Ujiri has been extremely proactive in making bold moves in order to “take the next step” as a franchise, and he certainly succeeded last season with the brilliant trades and offseason machinations.
Donaldson’s hiring is a similarly forward-thinking move and highlights Ujiri’s focus on keeping the Raptors’ strong culture in place despite the loss of key personnel this offseason.
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