Ranking the 3 best options for Raptors coaching vacancy
The Toronto Raptors’ decision to fire Nick Nurse leaves them at an organizational crossroads. Is this team really capable of contending, and if so, who’s the best voice to lead them?
There’s no denying the baseline talent on the Toronto Raptors‘ roster. Pascal Siakam earned All-NBA consideration despite the Raptors’ poor record and there’s plenty to be excited about with players like Scottie Barnes and OG Anunoby, two elite defensive wings on the front end of their basketball primes.
And yet, the Raptors feel like the NBA’s biggest mess. Nick Nurse’s firing highlighted the bad vibes around the franchise. Nurse butted heads with front office members, assistant coaches, and players. Toronto, after several years spent in contention, suddenly looked like ultimate resident of no-man’s land — too talented and experienced to rebuild, but far too flawed to pose any threat to the elite NBA teams.
It all ended with a play-in tournament loss to the Chicago Bulls. No disrespect to Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, but it’s hard to script a more poetic and embarrassing end to a sorry season. The Bulls, too, are stuck in basketball no-man’s land. But at least Chicago has a coach it believes in.
Who can the Raptors find this summer to lead the next era of Toronto basketball?
Best head coach options for Toronto Raptors to replace Nick Nurse
3. Chris Quinn
Former NBA point guard Chris Quinn has been an assistant coach under Erik Spoelstra in Miami since 2014. While much is made of the Gregg Popovich coaching tree coming out of San Antonio, Spo is widely considered the best working coach in the NBA. Maybe it’s time to grow in the Spoelstra coaching tree.
Quinn is a relatively young coach for a relatively young team. Toronto’s core players are all younger than 30. Scottie Barnes is probably the centerpiece of the Raptors’ future; giving him a guard-minded coach to grow alongside for the next decade is a tantalizing proposition.
No current head coach is better at maximizing a flawed roster and getting the most out of depth pieces than Spoelstra. The Raptors would hope some of that creativity and innovation has rubbed off on Quinn. Toronto is defined by atypical roster construction, but the talent level is enough to compete at a high level — at least in the regular season — with the right head coach.