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Lewenberg has a pretty good article on Nurse:
https://www.tsn.ca/raptors-may-have-...role-1.1149793
https://www.tsn.ca/raptors-may-have-...role-1.1149793
As it stands now, Leonard and Kyle Lowry – the team’s all-stars – are the only two players locked into a starting spot, according to Nurse. The other three spots are still up for grabs, and could even remain fluid throughout the season.
“I’m still on the JV train, for sure,” Nurse said. “I thought he made his biggest leap forward last year. I don’t know if his numbers were that much better, I don’t think they were, but just overall you felt better about him being on the floor. He felt better, he looked better, he just felt like more of a basketball player, [rather] than just running up and down, posting up and not getting the ball, and running back, and running down. He’s moving, and he’s swinging, and he’s rolling, he’s catching, he’s kicking. He just looks like more of a basketball player.”
That leaves Ibaka as the most likely candidate to open this season coming off the bench.
That leaves Ibaka as the most likely candidate to open this season coming off the bench.
Expect to see plenty of lineup variations with one traditional big and four interchangeable guards or wing players, as Nurse looks to capitalize on the team’s newfound versatility. Leonard and Green can both play three positions and comfortably defend or switch onto at least four. Siakam can do the same. Their four point guards – Lowry, Wright, VanVleet and Lorenzo Brown – are all plus-defenders and can share the floor, with Wright even playing some small forward.
Regardless of what the starting lineup looks like on opening night, Nurse doesn't intend to be married to his rotation. He wants to use the first few months of the season to experiment in preparation for the playoffs, not only with how they play, but also whom they are playing and when. He understands that there will be a time to run his best units out there and force other teams to adjust to them, but there will be others when they’re better off matching up – something the Raptors learned against Cleveland last spring, when (starting at centre for ) exposed Valanciunas on the perimeter. Things can, and likely will change throughout the season.
“Maybe it’s a night Serge goes to five and JV doesn’t start,” Nurse said. “Maybe there’s a night OG comes in and starts for Serge at the four.”
“Maybe it’s a night Serge goes to five and JV doesn’t start,” Nurse said. “Maybe there’s a night OG comes in and starts for Serge at the four.”
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