Nurse & Powell speak to Raptors media

Raptors head coach Nick Nurse and guard Norman Powell spoke to Raptors media Tuesday. Here's a little of what they had to say:

Powell on game flow when the NBA returns:

Norman Powell says he expects some growing pains with return to play. "Just the flow and feel of each other, and the flow of the game" can't be replicated in individual workouts. Thinks they have enough time to mesh.
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) June 30, 2020

Powell on what he's going to wear on his jersey to support social justice:

Norm Powell says he has a list of 10-12 different messages that he's considering putting on the back of his jersey. "Just trying to find a message that speaks to it all and is personal to me"
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) June 30, 2020

Powell on protests during the NBA's return:

Powell says he didn't have any hesitancy on returning. Like with VanVleet, he was on board with whatever the collective decision was and had plans in either scenario. He's happy to use the platform. "It's gonna be all eyes on us...You can do a lot to show where you stand."
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) June 30, 2020

Powell on social justice in Canada:

Norm Powell says he’s trying to keep dialogue going with MLSE on making positive change in Toronto, noting racial inequality is not just an American issue.
— (((Eric Koreen))) (@ekoreen) June 30, 2020

Powell on "Skinny" Marc Gasol:

Norm Powell on 'Skinny Marc' Gasol: "The change is drastic. I make fun of him looking like a soccer player from Barcelona. He's looking great and he's moving great."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) June 30, 2020

Powell on playing without fans:

"It's going to be like a glorified pick up game." Norm Powell on what this NBA restart is going to look like
— Kayla Grey (@Kayla_Grey) June 30, 2020

Nurse on how the Raptors look:

Raptors coach Nick Nurse says his "players look fantastic."
— Lori Ewing (@Ewingsports) June 30, 2020

Nurse on the Raptors schedule:

Nurse says he likes the Raptors' (tough) schedule, thinks it will be good to see some elite teams again (mentions Bucks and Lakers specifically) and will help them prepare for the playoffs. His initial plan is to ramp minutes up after a few games and pull back a bit in last few.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) June 30, 2020

Nurse on his approach to the remaining schedule:

Nurse is hoping the 8-game schedule will go something like this, success depending:

Start: Preseason-ish approach
Middle: Ramp main guys' minutes up
Final few: Ease back for playoff prep

Happy to see Bucks and Lakers as tests.
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) June 30, 2020

Nurse on social justice initiatives:

Nick Nurse says he's working on a voters abroad initiative, using his platform to help ease registration, etc., for American ex-pats living in Canada to vote.
— Lori Ewing (@Ewingsports) June 30, 2020

Nurse on social justice discussions:

Nick Nurse says that the coaches have met several times to discuss their roles in continuing the conversation on anti-black racism.
— Kayla Grey (@Kayla_Grey) June 30, 2020

The Raptors are currently training at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers. They will leave for Orlando in mid-July and begin preparing for their August 1 return against the Los Angeles Lakers.

They have the toughest remaining strength of schedule of all 22 teams. After Los Angeles, they have games against Milwaukee, Portland, Miami, Brooklyn, Toronto, Orlando, Memphis, and Washington. Those teams have a combined win percentage of 55%.

Toronto is currently three games up on Boston for the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

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- Aaron Rose covers the Toronto Raptors and Canadian basketball for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter @aaronbenrose or on Facebook @AllRaptors.