The Toronto Raptors are… a work in progress. After trading away long-time franchise player Kyle Lowry, the team has fully committed to a rebuild around their young core. The Raptors drafted Scottie Barnes fourth overall this, who joins Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and OG Anunoby as the cornerstones of the team.
Raptors head coach Nick Nurse knows that this will be a bumpy season for the team and it's fans. When speaking to the media, Nurse relayed his thoughts on what viewers and fans can expect from this team in the coming season. (via Josh Lewenberg)
“Nurse: ‘When you come and watch us play you should see a group really going at it and trying to guard and defend and flying around, and you should leave the game saying ‘man, that was fun to watch'. That's really all I'm asking for (and we'll) see what happens from there.'”
Nurse: "When you come and watch us play you should see a group really going at it and trying to guard and defend and flying around, and you should leave the game saying 'man, that was fun to watch'. That's really all I'm asking for (and we'll) see what happens from there."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) October 9, 2021
The Raptors coach also took this opportunity to poke a little fun at the predictions surrounding the team.
Nurse was asked about people counting the Raptors out this year, picking them to finish 7th or 8th, maybe: "7th and 8th? They're talking way lower than that."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) October 9, 2021
With Lowry out of the picture, the Raptors are by no means a lock for the playoffs like they used to be. They've hit a slump since the COVID pandemic hit the NBA. They struggled in the 2020 bubble, and failed to make even the play-in tournament last season. Nurse and the Raptors will look to turn it around this season, but the coach also knows that with a young team like this, the road ahead will be anything but smooth.
The good news for the Nick Nurse and the Raptors is that the core that they're looking to build around on are battle-tested veterans with championship DNA. Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet were integral to the Raps' first title in 2019. OG Anunoby might not have been with the team during that run, but he benefitted greatly from the mentorship of Kawhi Leonard. And joining them is the rookie Scottie Barnes, who has looked impressive in the pre-season for the Raptors.
The team may not win a lot of games this season, but boy will it be fun to watch this team play together.
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