Raptors Discuss Starting Lineup & Bench Cohesion With Returning Group

The Toronto Raptors want to keep their starting group in tact for this season as the bench unit continues to develop cohesion

It's the most asked question and the one Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse hates the most: Who is going to start?

Frankly, there's good reason for his distaste of the question. Who cares who starts? Isn't the far more important question who finishes? Who logs the most minutes? Those questions, though, are far more difficult to answer and depend almost entirely on how the game is going. So here we are.

All indications are the Raptors are going to go with the same starting lineup the team had for the bulk of last season with Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr., Scottie Barnes, O.G. Anunoby, and Pascal Siakam. As Nurse said Tuesday, "they're probably clearly the five best players."

That, however, could change pretty quickly depending on the night.

"Do we really want Scottie, Pascal, or O.G. guarding a really good big five to start the game? I don't think we probably do," Nurse said, referring primarily to Philadelphia 76ers superstar center Joel Embiid. "So we're gonna have to make some adjustments to that. Or it's just going to be three minutes and we're sending in a guy."

For years now Nurse has floated the idea of changing his starting lineup on a nightly base depending on the matchup. One night, for example, Precious Achiuwa could start if Toronto needed a little more size against a bigger opponent. On the next night, Trent could shift back into the starting lineup when size was less of a factor. 

It's a good idea on paper but one Nurse has never implemented, usually opting for cohesion both within starting lineup and off the bench. For Toronto's returning bench trio of Chris Boucher, Thad Young, and Precious Achiuwa, who finished last season plus 14 in 169 minutes together, that familiarity has been helpful.

"I think the best thing about us three as a group is we come in and we play at a high level, we play with a lot of energy but we’re all different players," said Young, the elder statesman of the group. "Precious, he’ll be able to be more athletic and put the ball on the floor and do a lot of different things; Chris is the energy guy, he’s going to crash the glass, he’ll offensive rebound, he’ll be able to knock down threes and I’m the piece that can kinda bring everything together."

Ultimately, though, all this planning will go awry once the season starts and injuries and rest nights pop up. Last season Toronto used 27 different starting lineups. The year before in Tampa that number reached 38.

"We talk about (the starting lineup) every single one of these press conferences, and the players obviously make a big deal out of it as well," Nurse added, joking about his disdain for the topic. "It's an uphill battle for me that continues to rage on."

Further Reading

Nick Nurse reveals Scottie Barnes has been playing 'catch-up' after offseason injury

Raptors see new confidence in Dalano Banton: Looks like he's 'ready to crack the rotation'

Raptors not concerned about preseason shooting woes following loss to Bulls