The Toronto Raptors, who recently fired Coach of the Year candidate Dwane Casey, have found their new leader. The Raptors have promoted assistant coach Nick Nurse. Nurse has received acclaim for installing the team’s new offense this season.
The Toronto Raptors are hiring assistant Nick Nurse as the franchise’s new head coach, league sources tell ESPN. Sides are working through details of contract now.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 12, 2018
Nurse was one of several Toronto assistants in contention for head coaching jobs around the league. Longtime assistant Rex Kalamian is also considered a prime candidate, as is up-and-coming former NBA player Jerry Stackhouse.
It seems likely Nurse will inherit the same roster as that which Casey coached this season. He will be tasked with taking the Raptors to the next level — past LeBron James.
Nurse is a good coach, and he’s getting this job under unusual circumstances — and with pressure to win big as long as the roster is the same. Next 24 months in Toronto are going to be fascinating. https://t.co/i8WwJxpSCh
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) June 12, 2018
Nurse, 50, has been an assistant in Toronto since 2013. He spent most of his career, which began in 1989, on the college and D-League levels. He won two D-League championships, in 2011 and 2013, and was the 2011 D-League Coach of the Year.
Raptors Looking Ahead
The Raptors earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference after piecing together the strongest regular season in franchise history. LeBron, however, continued his dominance over the Canadian franchise in the postseason. Cleveland swept Toronto in the second round.
It wouldn’t be a shock if Casey claimed the Coach of the Year award. Nonetheless, General Manager Masai Ujiri chose to move in a new direction next season.
Monday, the Detroit Pistons announced they had agreed to a five-year deal with Casey, who will remain in the Eastern Conference.
