The Toronto Raptors have made a stunning decision to part ways with head coach Nick Nurse after five seasons. The move comes as a surprise to many, given that Nurse led the team to its first NBA championship in the 2018-19 season, but the Raptors struggled this season, finishing 41-41 and missing the playoffs for the second time in ten seasons.
Nurse’s tenure with the Raptors
Nurse’s departure was announced by team president Masai Ujiri in a statement released on Friday. In the statement, Ujiri acknowledged Nurse’s contributions to the team’s historic accomplishments, but said that the decision to make a change was an opportunity to reset and refocus on the goal of winning the next championship.
Nurse was hired as the head coach of the Toronto Raptors in 2018 after serving as an assistant coach for the team for five years. In his first season as head coach, he led the team to an NBA championship, and he was named NBA Coach of the Year in 2019.
In his five seasons with the Raptors, Nurse had a record of 277-163, the best winning percentage in team history. He made three playoff appearances, won two Atlantic Division titles, an Eastern Conference title, and an NBA title. However, this season was a different story. The Raptors struggled to keep it together, and Nurse finished with a record of 41-41, after a 48-34 campaign in 2021-22. The team went from a playoff team last season to an AT&T Play-In Tournament team this season.
Possible replacements for Nurse
Marc Stein and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski both report that former Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka is on the Raptors’ radar as a replacement for Nurse. Udoka, who was an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs from 2012 to 2019, joined the Celtics as their head coach in 2020, but was fired after one season.
Other potential candidates for the head coaching position include Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin, and David Vanterpool, an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, Ujiri has said that he plans to make changes on all fronts, so it remains to be seen who the Raptors will ultimately hire as their new head coach.
What’s next for the Raptors
The Raptors are facing a period of uncertainty as they head into the off-season. Guards Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. can opt out of their contracts and choose free agency this offseason, and center Jakob Poeltl is headed for free agency. Neither Pascal Siakam nor O.G. Anunoby is signed for the long term, and both could become free agents next summer.
Ujiri has said that he hopes to have a new head coach in place by the NBA draft in June, but that changes will be made on all fronts. The Raptors will need to make some key decisions this off-season to ensure that they can rebound from a disappointing season and return to being a playoff contender in the Eastern Conference.
