Raptors Remain Uncertain About Norman Powell with Strange Season Set to Start
Expect the unexpected this season.
COVID-19 has already struck the Toronto Raptors this year and now, just hours before tip-off on opening night, the Raptors still aren't sure if Norman Powell will be available against the New Orleans Pelicans.
"We are waiting through some of the protocols with Norm at the moment," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said Wednesday morning. "I would imagine this is the first of many times on game day that we're gonna be talking about this. And I would just encourage everybody that because we're waiting, there's a lot of things that go into this, and because we're waiting it certainly doesn't mean there's a positive test or any of that kind of stuff, there's just some protocols we're waiting to get through."
It's tough to speculate on COVID-19 issues, but considering Powell is questionable for the game and hasn't already been ruled out, it seems unlikely that he has already received a conclusive positive test.
Regardless, this kind of uncertainty is going likely to be a theme throughout this season. The Raptors are expecting to deal with COVID-19 issues be it positive or inconclusive tests or just close contracts throughout the year. And sometimes, like today, teams won't know who is available to play until just a few hours before tip-off.
"It looks like I’m in a scenario now where I may not know until the afternoon what’s going on," Nurse said. "There’s a lot of chain of communication to get boxes ticked. I don’t know how late that will go. I guess that kind of remains to be seen."
Fortunately for the Raptors, Nurse is well-versed in dealing with these kinds of issues. He spent the first decade of his career coach what he's called backwater, minor league teams over in Europe where you wouldn't know who was playing until an hour before the game.
For the players though, things are a little bit more unusual. Nurse has repeatedly spoken about trying to create consistent roles on his bench. He'd like to have a regular rotation with a set eighth and ninth man. While that makes a ton of sense in a normal season because it lets players develop more, it almost seems like trying to stay flexible is the way to go in this strange pandemic-altered season.
"Everyone has to be ready whenever their number’s called, doesn’t matter what your role is," said Matt Thomas, who expects to by vying for those eighth and ninth man minutes. "Obviously, things can change very quickly and it’s just a testament that guys need to stay ready, stay in shape, stay ready for when your number’s called."
For now, we'll wait. We'll wait to see what the future holds for Powell. He could miss one game, a couple, or none, but whatever it is, the Raptors will be ready to adapt to whatever this season has in store.
