The Raptors have “something special”, according to their coach

The 55-year-old tactician said as much on Wednesday at his foundation’s first charity golf tournament in Uxbridge, an hour northeast of Toronto.

I don’t want to go overboard with this, but I see something special in this bandhe said to the few journalists present when questioned about his feelings about his troops in the middle of the off-season.

golf. C'est parce qu’ils sont dans un gymnase tous ensemble à s’entraîner. Il y a littéralement toute l’équipe sauf un joueur qui est à un camp de basketball dans un autre pays","text":"Aucun d'entre eux n'est ici aujourd’hui – en train de jouer au golf. C'est parce qu’ils sont dans un gymnase tous ensemble à s’entraîner. Il y a littéralement toute l’équipe sauf un joueur qui est à un camp de basketball dans un autre pays"}}">None of them are here today – playing golf. It’s because they’re in a gym together working out. There’s literally the whole team except one player who’s at a basketball camp in another country.he said.

His players all train under the care of Rico Hines, a development specialist recently hired by the Raptors, who organizes pick-up games in a gymnasium at UCLA University in California.

Based on what he’s seen and heard, Nurse is confident his team will take a big step forward this season after exceeding expectations last year.

The Raptors finished the 2021-22 season with a 48-34 record, good for 5th in the East. Many experts predicted aou 12e rang”,”text”:”11ou 12e rang”}}”>11 or 12th rankhe recalls.

I see very good signs of cohesion and hope for what can be done. I think last year we started the year and we didn’t know who we were […] We even started playing without really knowing who we were, but in the end, we were pretty goodhe pointed out.

According to the main interested party, the success of the Raptors in the coming season will depend on the state of health of some of its players. He didn’t name them, but Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby missed a lot of games last year. VanVleet, in particular, did not finish the series against the Philadelphia 76ers due to hip issues.

Nick Nurse also believes that the fact that veteran Thad Young has a year of experience under the tie in Toronto and that the team has signed Otto Porter Jr., crowned NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors this summer, will help the cause of his people.

The progress of Chris Boucher and Precious Achiuwa will also influence the fate of the Toronto team according to the American. He also expects reserves Malachi Flynn, Justin Champagnie and Dalano Banton, to name a few, to find a way to contribute to the team’s success.

I see depth [dans cette équipe]. Much more than a year ago. I think we will need it. That should help us.

As for Pascal Siakam, the Raptors star who was named to an NBA All-Star Team last year after experiencing a major downturn in 2020, it looks absolutely spectacular training, says Nurse.

You sit and watch him train, his athleticism…he’s electric. His level of concentration, his throw, he is fluid and easy. It looks greathe concluded.

The Raptors will begin training camp at the end of September in Victoria, B.C., it was announced Wednesday morning. They will also play preseason games in Edmonton and Montreal in October. The foretaste of the hopes of the Toronto team will come only then.