Nick Nurse caught himself in mid-sentence when he was talking about Raptors guard Fred VanVleet, whose well-documented basketball smarts have helped turn him from an undrafted prospect into an integral part of a championship team.
It was in one of the many Zoom group interview sessions, and the queries for the head coach were about the basketball intelligence of VanVleet and how it helps make the Raptors run so smoothly.
“He’s certainly wise beyond his years,” Nurse said of the 25-year-old VanVleet.
And then the pause came.
“He’s got incredible basketball — I don’t even have to qualify (it) — he’s got an incredible mind, very bright.