Rockets Coaching Search: Can Nick Nurse Replicate Raptors Success In Houston?
HOUSTON — Nick Nurse officially became a candidate for the Houston Rockets' coaching vacancy Friday morning following his firing from the Toronto Raptors.
Nurse was the consensus favorite to become the Rockets' next head coach leading up to the inevitable departure of Stephen Silas on April 10. His dismissal ended a five-year run with the Raptors.
Nurse's departure from Toronto came from left field. But despite establishing himself as arguably the best coach in franchise history, it appears Nurse's time with the Raptors had run its course.
"He asks a lot of his players both in terms of playing that aggressive defense Toronto is known for and playing a ton of minutes," Raptors beat reporter Aaron Rose said. "Nobody plays their starters more than Nick and I think it’s just time for a change. There also seems to be some disconnect between the front office and Nick in terms of player usage and I think a parting of ways would be more mutual than one-sided."
Nurse began his NBA career as coach of the Rockets' G League team, Rio Grande Valley Vipers in 2011. He helped the Vipers win two of their three championships and joined the Raptors coaching staff in 2013.
Following the firing of coach Dwane Casey in 2018, Nurse took the helm to become the ninth coach in franchise history. On his way to the second-most wins in team history (227), the Raptors reached new heights with Nurse.
He led Toronto to their lone championship title in 2019 by defeating the Golden State Warriors in six games. But Nurse took over a Raptors team who already had their foundation established. And a month into his coaching tenure, Toronto landed Kawhi Leonard in a trade from the San Antonio Spurs— whose historic post-season run led to his second-career Finals MVP.
Some have questioned the credibility of Nurse's championship ring, given the talent level of the Raptors. But Nurse illustrated his impact by displaying his knowledge for X's and O's on the defensive end.
Despite winning a championship, Nurse's best season came the following year. The Raptors advanced to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals in the wake of losing Leonard in free agency. The results led to Toronto finishing the 2019-20 season with 53 wins, which awarded Nurse Coach of the Year honors.
"Nick has really been an innovator when it comes to pushing the boundaries of defensive aggression and playing the possessions battle," Rose said.
"I think back to the box-and-one Toronto deployed against Steph Curry in the NBA Finals or the hyper-aggressive defense they played against the Rockets to slow down James Harden is a prime example of Nick being willing to push the envelope and try things other coaches probably wouldn’t."
Nurse's defensive coaching philosophy during the Raptors' championship run became his blueprint.
He would help enhance the Rockets' defensive struggles. But becoming the 16th coach in franchise history would put Nurse at the helm of developing Houston's young corps — headlined by Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr., Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr.
"Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam are the two best examples of Raptors players taking a jump during Nick’s tenure," Rose said. "His reputation as being a shooting doctor has certainly taken a hit this year. Scottie Barnes hasn’t developed as a shooter this year, and it’s been a while since Toronto had a player take a big leap like VanVleet and Siakam."
Nurse has the championship pedigree and defensive philosophy needed to change Houston's troubles over the previous three seasons. But more importantly, Nurse maybe the best candidate to re-build the Rockets' winning culture and restore the franchise's relevancy.
"I think Nick has been an innovator when it comes to pushing the boundaries of defensive aggression and playing the possessions battle," Rose said. "He’s more focused on winning than development, and maybe that’s not the best for a young team. Houston might need that. I’d think he would want more talent on that roster before signing up to lead a mediocre-to-bad team again."
You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24
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