A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a piece about how in firing Dwane Casey, Masai Ujiri had taken an uncharacteristic risk. By removing the Coach of the Year candidate, Masai faced a scenario where if the Raptors’ record declined markedly under a new bench boss, focus would shift from coaching tactics to Ujiri’s ability to properly navigate the waters of the modern game.
In promoting long-time assistant coach, Nick Nurse, Ujiri has doubled down on that risk.
By all accounts Nurse is a strong basketball mind. He toiled in a round-ball backwater, much like Casey (Britain compared to Japan), and then cut his North American teeth through running the Rockets then D-League franchise.