Everything Nick Nurse

[BrydenB]

This system looks like no fun to play in. High effort, not much passing, lots of iso. Doesn't lead to a tonne of "fun" plays like dunks or threes that get the team/crowd going. People keep saying the vibes are bad. System has to be a part of it.

[Primer]

This system looks like no fun to play in. High effort, not much passing, lots of iso. Doesn't lead to a tonne of "fun" plays like dunks or threes that get the team/crowd going. People keep saying the vibes are bad. System has to be a part of it.

It has looked bad lately, but it's also looked incredibly fun for the majority of last season and even a lot of games this year.

Somethings just off right now.

[golden]

Opposing teams started to figure out the Raptors sell-out defensive schemes right after the title defense season. It was a novelty scheme, and those type of schemes have a shelf life. The pump-fake and side-step 3 was/is the counter to our aggressive fly-by closeouts, that worked so well in 2019-20 and won Nurse the COY. Like mad scientists and their inventions.... sometimes coaches are hesitant to let go of things that have made them successful.

[BrydenB]

This defensive system needs to be scaled back. To allow corner threes as a strategy is insane. Most teams play 4 or 5 guys that can nail that shot. To play up high on everyone and allow a blow-by with no elite rim protection is death as well. It's insane that the Raps are sticking with this.

[slaw]

It has looked bad lately, but it's also looked incredibly fun for the majority of last season and even a lot of games this year.

Somethings just off right now.

Defensively teams have figured us out (as golden noted) and offensively we don’t have the firepower to keep pace. You can game the possession battle all you want but if you can’t score then having 8 more possessions doesn’t matter, especially if the opponent is shooting the lights out.

[Dr Hannibal Lecter]

Iso ball kills teams..it's easy 2 prepare for this team..iso ball hogg, iso Siakiam..so predictable..Raptors team is boring..

[golden]

Defensively teams have figured us out (as golden noted) and offensively we don’t have the firepower to keep pace. You can game the possession battle all you want but if you can’t score then having 8 more possessions doesn’t matter, especially if the opponent is shooting the lights out.

Brad Stevens basically figured out our defense in the Bubble and laid the blueprint for every other team. I started to notice a trend of other teams cracking our code right at the beginning of the 2021 season (Game 9).

Raptors are doing it again. They're leaving bad shooters open(wide open) from 3. Bledsoe, Lonzo, DeRozan and now Green. If you leave these guys WIDE OPEN they're gonna makes shots. I don't care if they're bad shooters.

Looks like teams figured out Nurse's pack line defense from last year.

The rise of the one dribble / side-step move has really hurt us, along with the simple pump fake. I mean, even the ICE'ing the pick & roll was all the rage, but teams eventually figured that out. You have to continue to be innovative. And that's just defense.

Our offense also needs a complete overhaul. Almost every team should be using the Warriors system... we just saw them demolish us without Steph. It will help any shooters get more rhythm jump-shots, and we should be giving them any help they can get. The idea is that you touch the ball and keep moving. Everybody feels engaged in the offense which creates energy and flow.

[JawsGT]

Brad Stevens basically figured out our defense in the Bubble and laid the blueprint for every other team. I started to notice a trend of other teams cracking our code right at the beginning of the 2021 season (Game 9).





The rise of the one dribble / side-step move has really hurt us, along with the simple pump fake. I mean, even the ICE'ing the pick & roll was all the rage, but teams eventually figured that out. You have to continue to be innovative. And that's just defense.

Our offense also needs a complete overhaul. Almost every team should be using the Warriors system... we just saw them demolish us without Steph. It will help any shooters get more rhythm jump-shots, and we should be giving them any help they can get. The idea is that you touch the ball and keep moving. Everybody feels engaged in the offense which creates energy and flow.

Yes, more ball movement please. The constant ISOing usually means the guys without the ball are just spectators, and when the player with the ball gets into trouble, there's nowhere to send the ball. Gotta keep moving. We should have been using Fred and Gary more like steph and klay right out the gate this season, with Barnes being the main facilitator at the top of the key or 3pt line.

[DanH]

Opposing teams started to figure out the Raptors sell-out defensive schemes right after the title defense season. It was a novelty scheme, and those type of schemes have a shelf life. The pump-fake and side-step 3 was/is the counter to our aggressive fly-by closeouts, that worked so well in 2019-20 and won Nurse the COY. Like mad scientists and their inventions.... sometimes coaches are hesitant to let go of things that have made them successful.

Crazy how rim protection has died since we last had an elite defensive center.

That said, I'm not sure these numbers are the best way to represent rim protection. Like, if teams shot 90% at the rim but only got one shot a game there against us I'd be very happy. Would have thought the total number of at rim makes, if you need a single number, would be more descriptive. I suspect it tells a very similar story though.

[NeedTristanThompson]

When it’s all said and done…Nick Nurse will quit his day job and focus on his true calling….

Nursing all his inured players

SO Sad but so true. I'm not just trying to agree with you for the sake of it these days The Claw Reborn but sheeeeeeeeeesh.

Like it's a consistent pattern all these years now. First year NN was doing this post championship it was like oooookay I feel unsure about this but we'll go with it for now, NN just won us a championship after all, we should trust him. But now it just looks like a bad idea, it's not even winning games. And does anyone really believe Malachi Flynn is actually so bad he should never play??? Strange things going on there, when he could ease the minutes with simple things like playing Malachi 10 minutes a game say???

NN is Thibodeau with a championship (as a head coach, Thibodeau has one as an assistant).

I don't see how we don't do anything but move on from him????? Running your players into the ground is just a bad idea. Can we get Dwane Casey back???

#BYE NN THANKS FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP

[The Claw Reborn]

SO Sad but so true. I'm not just trying to agree with you for the sake of it these days The Claw Reborn but sheeeeeeeeeesh.

Like it's a consistent pattern all these years now. First year NN was doing this post championship it was like oooookay I feel unsure about this but we'll go with it for now, NN just won us a championship after all, we should trust him. But now it just looks like a bad idea, it's not even winning games. And does anyone really believe Malachi Flynn is actually so bad he should never play??? Strange things going on there, when he could ease the minutes with simple things like playing Malachi 10 minutes a game say???

NN is Thibodeau with a championship (as a head coach, Thibodeau has one as an assistant).

I don't see how we don't do anything but move on from him????? Running your players into the ground is just a bad idea. Can we get Dwane Casey back???

#BYE NN THANKS FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP

Cutting that link between Nick Nurse and VanVleet is the first step

Allow him to manage a team without favoritism and politics

I still would not give up on him….but to me his kryptonite is Fred VanVleet.

[The Claw Reborn]

Kryptonite of Casey was Derozan, tried his hardest to hide him in his defensive schemes because the player was a total disaster in defending his position.

Kryptonite of Nurse is VanVleet, pounding him into ground until there is not much left of him at the expense of the development of the young players and full autonomy of Scottie running the offense

tough times then, tough times now.

Full circle.

[Primer]

Yes, we are the only team that deals with injuries. Astute analysis guys.

[G__Deane]

From SN:
As with any coach during a losing spell, the Raptors' Nick Nurse has come under criticism along with the rest of the team. His offensive strategy has been called uninventive and his defensive strategy dubbed too creative. But this was undeniably a great game from Nurse, who pushed all the right buttons. He started the game in a box-and-one, which surely caught the Knicks by surprise as Nurse made it a focus to neutralize Jalen Brunson, who shot 3-of-14 with five turnovers. Nurse then shifted back to zone coverage against the Knicks' bench, which lacks playmaking and shooting in similar fashion to the Raptors. The 55-year-old coach also gave Siakam a breather to start the fourth quarter, even though the easier move would have been to ride the hot hand, but he did so responsibly by having his second- and third-best players in O.G. Anunoby and Fred VanVleet playing a two-man game that maintained the lead. Finally, when Scottie Barnes made three costly defensive mistakes in a row, Nurse pulled the plug on his prized sophomore, and closed out with Thad Young and Malachi Flynn, which showed that he was fair in his management.

[golden]

From SN:
As with any coach during a losing spell, the Raptors' Nick Nurse has come under criticism along with the rest of the team. His offensive strategy has been called uninventive and his defensive strategy dubbed too creative. But this was undeniably a great game from Nurse, who pushed all the right buttons. He started the game in a box-and-one, which surely caught the Knicks by surprise as Nurse made it a focus to neutralize Jalen Brunson, who shot 3-of-14 with five turnovers. Nurse then shifted back to zone coverage against the Knicks' bench, which lacks playmaking and shooting in similar fashion to the Raptors. The 55-year-old coach also gave Siakam a breather to start the fourth quarter, even though the easier move would have been to ride the hot hand, but he did so responsibly by having his second- and third-best players in O.G. Anunoby and Fred VanVleet playing a two-man game that maintained the lead. Finally, when Scottie Barnes made three costly defensive mistakes in a row, Nurse pulled the plug on his prized sophomore, and closed out with Thad Young and Malachi Flynn, which showed that he was fair in his management.

Yep, well coached game last night. I liked the hard cutting & man-movement to start the game in the half-court sets. Looked a tiny bit like the Warriors. It was clear they were making an effort to get some man-movement going. Fred was really motoring and trying to speed things up. Juancho is just a smart off-ball player. That set the stage for Pascal to do his ISO thing and keep the defense off-balance.