Nick Nurse Articles - Page 11

Even with the odds stacked against them, Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse still has full confidence with his team. After the departure of one-and-done reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard to the Los Angeles Clippers, most pundits have already been doubting the Raptors’ chances of repeating in the 2019-20 NBA season. Some were even brazen […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, who is entering his second year as the team’s head coach, has big plans for incoming OG Anunoby this 2019-20 season. Nurse wants Anunoby to be the team’s primary defender, and he believes the 22-year-old forward has the tools to do it. Nurse praised Anunoby's camp, said he's looked […]

The Toronto Raptors added forwards Stanley Johnson and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson over the summer with the hope that the two youngsters could bring some defense to the table, but Raptors head coach Nick Nurse has not been happy with their defensive effort thus far: “Those guys have not understood a) how hard we play, b) our […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse says their load management strategy on superstar Kawhi Leonard last season prepared the team for life without him. Leonard missed 22 games last season for the Raptors, who went 17-5 without their best player in 2018-19. Nurse is obviously going to miss Leonard, but he believes the Raptors aren’t […]

From Nick Nurse’s point of view, Toronto Raptors forward OG Anunoby is in the ‘best condition he’s been in.’ After their second preseason game, Nurse shared his observations on the 22-year-old forward who’s now in his third year in the league. According to Nurse, Anunoby is healthier than ever. “He’s not only healthy, but he’s […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse is looking to tweak his offense due to the lack of a reliable shooting touch from Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Nurse admitted that he’s not too confident about relying on Hollis-Jefferson camping around the perimeter or behind the 3-point line, waiting for a wide-open shot. Instead, Nurse is looking at placing […]

The Toronto Raptors have an improbable campaign to defend their NBA title ahead of them. They’re close to playing their first game of the season against the New Orleans Pelicans but they are still without their franchise PG in Kyle Lowry. The NBA champion underwent the knife to fix his thumb in July and is […]

Patrick McCaw is set to get a massive minutes boost with the Toronto Raptors next season. The 23-year-old guard played a limited role for the Raptors last season, but head coach Nick Nurse hinted that things may change for him this 2019-20 campaign. Per Mike Ganter of Post Media News (via The Telegram), Nurse said […]

The Toronto Raptors may have lost Kawhi Leonard in free agency, but they still have that competitive spirit that helped them win their first-ever championship next season. And even without the reigning Finals MVP, the team still plans to remain competitive this season, and head coach Nick Nurse has indicated that he plans to have […]

Toronto Raptors wingman OG Anunoby missed the entirety of the team’s run to the first NBA title in franchise history. After playing in 67 regular season games, Anunoby was forced out of the playoffs with an appendectomy. But now that Kawhi Leonard has left town, the Raptors will need added production from the forward spot. […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse has told guard OG Anunoby several times that his tough 2018-19 season was out of his control. Anunoby played in 67 games during the regular season, but missed the entire 2019 playoffs as a result of undergoing an emergency appendectomy. Via Blake Murphy of The Athletic: “I’ve had several […]

Toronto Raptors and Canada men’s basketball coach Nick Nurse has plenty of sympathy for Lithuania head coach Dainius Adomaitis. Adomaitis was extremely upset after a botched call late in his team’s 78-75 loss to France that prevented the Lithuanians from advancing to the quarterfinals at the FIBA World Cup. He said that the officials didn’t […]

When Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse considered and eventually accepted the head coaching job for the Canada men’s national basketball team, he was expecting to have a number of NBA players at his disposal in the FIBA World Cup. On the contrary though, he ended up with only two: Khem Birch of the Orlando Magic […]

The entire country of Canada was on Cloud Nine when their beloved Toronto Raptors won their first NBA championship this past season. However, the Raptors’ success did not spill over into the 2019 FIBA World Cup as Team Canada had a very underwhelming run in the tournament. Canada did not field in its best potential […]

Orlando Magic big man Khem Birch is happy to play for Canada in the FIBA World Cup. After all, it’s not everyday that he gets to work under a champion coach like Nick Nurse of the Toronto Raptors. In an interview with Montreal Gazette’s Mike Ganter, Birch said he is lucky that some players withdrew […]

Barely more than a year removed from being promoted to head coach of the Toronto Raptors, Nick Nurse is already taking the lead in helping develop Canada’s national program. The championship-winning coach is currently roaming the sidelines for Team Canada at the 2019 FIBA World Cup, his first tournament as coach of our neighbors to […]

For Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, Jonas Valanciunas is ‘one of the best bigs’ in the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Valanciunas, who’s representing Lithuania in the quadrennial affair, worked with Nurse for several years with the Toronto Raptors before he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in the middle of the 2018-19 season. By […]

As Canada prepares for their must-win game versus Lithuania on Monday, head coach Nick Nurse said that he plans to give Jonas Valanciunas and his team the good old-fashioned beating. “Obviously love Jonas, but I’m going to try to kick his ass tomorrow,” Nurse said, per Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun. When Valanciunas heard […]

Canada is in a must-win situation after their blowout loss to Australia in the FIBA World Cup opener on Sunday, according to head coach Nick Nurse of the Toronto Raptors. Nick Nurse on Canada L in FIBA WC opener vs Australia: „To get out of this group, you have to play an extraordinary basketball. And we […]

Canada tapped Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse to lead the men’s national basketball team in this year’s FIBA World Cup. So far, the only NBA champion coach in Canada is enjoying the overall experience — traveling to different places, preparing game plans, and competing. “Are you kidding me?,” Nurse replied when asked about his […]

Following a tremendous third year in the league in which he earned the honor of Most Improved Player, much is expected from Toronto Raptors rising star Pascal Siakam in the coming campaign. Reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard is now out of the picture, which leaves a clear path for Siakam to take over as Toronto’s […]

Team Canada head coach Nick Nurse called previous reports saying point guard Cory Joseph would miss the upcoming FIBA World Cup “incorrect” — stating he’d spoken to the guard on Wednesday and he has his flight booked to China, according to John Casey of 7News Adelaide. Nurse and the rest of Team Canada are in […]

The game of basketball is expanding rapidly in Canada. Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse believes that the recent boom in popularity, as triggered by the Raptors’ recent championship victory this past season, will eventually lead to the growth of local talent, per Ted Wyman of Canada.com. “The most important thing is the talent growth,” […]

New Sacramento Kings guard Cory Joseph heaped praise on his former coach Nick Nurse of the Toronto Raptors. Joseph — who will be playing under Nurse again, albeit on the Canadian men’s national basketball team — briefly recalled his stint with the Raptors from 2015 to 2017. During that time, Nurse was still an assistant […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse only needed one season atop the highest level to capture a NBA title. However, the soon-to-be second-year NBA head coach made plenty of memories along the way last season — most of which came in the form of his hilarious reactions along the sideline. Well aware of his tremendous […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse is coming off a dream season in which he helped bring the Larry O’Brien trophy to Canada for the first time. Now, the coach is looking to bring Canada some more hardware. Nurse claimed that he will be taking the FIBA tournament just as seriously as the playoff games […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse says he is excited to lead Team Canada at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China. As part of an interview with Paul Jones of Sportsnet, Nurse noted some of the better traits his team has shown after just one practice. He says the work ethic and IQ are […]

Still vibing with championship glory, Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse found out his talisman player, Kawhi Leonard, would leave his team for the LA Clippers in the most random of places. The guitar-wailing aficionado was taking part on a packed house at the Tropicana in Las Vegas alongside assistant coach Nate Bjorkgren, rocking out […]

Jim Boylen’s old-school tactics wore thin on the Chicago Bulls in the first week of his tenure as head coach after taking over for the fired Fred Hoiberg. Players were so frustrated with the frequency and intensity of his practices, they briefly considered skipping one en masse before agreeing to discuss their issues with Boylen […]

Toronto Raptors center Marc Gasol had encouraging words for Nick Nurse and the Canadian team and their bright future on Friday. The Spanish center spoke on his coach’s talent and how he thought it would lead to success in the FIBA tournament. “It’s going to be a very exciting tournament for them as they are […]

The Toronto Raptors will have huge adjustments to make in the 2019-20 season following the departure of Kawhi Leonard, but head coach Nick Nurse already has a plan in mind. Nurse said that the Raptors will be relying on ball movement, which was a key factor during their title run last season. The second-year head […]

Kawhi Leonard has decided to take his talents to the Western Conference, joining the LA Clippers on a max deal after leading the Raptors to their first championship in franchise history. Leonard’s decision came as a surprise to some, but it sounds like Raptors head coach Nick Nurse was prepared to take the news. According […]

Kawhi Leonard did the unprecedented, leaving the Toronto Raptors just 22 days after he led them to their first ever NBA championship. The reigning Finals MVP chose to go home, and play in his hometown for the Los Angeles Clippers. And Raptors head coach Nick Nurse completely understands why Leonard did what he did. “I […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse has officially been chosen to lead Team Canada at this year’s FIBA World Cup, according to a report from Chicco Nacion of theScore. “I’m looking forward to working with this talented group of young players, and to seeing what we can do on the competitive global basketball stage,” Nurse […]

The Toronto Raptors won the NBA Championship this season in a stunning upset of the Golden State Warriors. Although the parade was last week, the party hasn’t stopped, at least not for head coach Nick Nurse. According to Steven Loung of SportsNet, Nick Nurse was at an Arkells concert in Toronto, and joined the Canadian […]

Kawhi Leonard is done listening to Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse’s stories about his stint in the D-League. After the Raptors went up 3-2 on the Bucks, Nick Nurse told a story about winning Game 1 of the D-League Finals but not finishing the series at home. Kawhi interrupted and joked, “In the D-League? […]

The NBA has a longstanding tradition in which championship-winning teams pay a visit to the sitting president at the White House shortly after the NBA Finals. This season’s winners are the Toronto Raptors, but it’s not clear if head coach Nick Nurse and his players have received an invite to the U.S. capital. In a […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse says superstar small forward Kawhi Leonard is the funniest guy on the team when it comes to watching film. Leonard said he was a fun guy and media day and Nurse says the two-time Finals MVP is a funny person behind the scenes when he’s not around the media. […]

Kawhi Leonard’s Game 7, series-clinching buzzer-beater against the Philadelphia 76ers is one of the greatest moments in this years playoffs. Indeed, it is a moment that will forever live in the Raptors’ lore. While it established Kawhi Leonard as a game-changer, the play drawn by Nick Nurse also elevated the reputation of the first-year coach. […]