After what has been “a difficult season” thus far, Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse is not sure if he will be back to lead the team again in 2023-2024.
Over the last decade, few teams have been more consistently competitive than the Toronto Raptors. The organization built its franchise up into title contention by making smart draft picks and through player development. When the iron was hot, they swung a blockbuster trade and brought the franchise their first championship in 2019.
While several athletes played major roles in that long run of success, Nick Nurse is an often underappreciated element of the last decade in Toronto Raptors’ history. The 55-year-old was an assistant for five seasons before taking on the difficult task of replacing former head coach Dwane Casey.
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Yet he proved his worth by leading the team to a championship and staking his place as one of the best coaches in the sport. However, the 2022-2023 season has been a far cry from the high point four years ago. The team underperformed all season as they dealt with injuries and were followed by constant rumors of trades before the deadline.
Toronto Raptors record (’22-’23): 38-38
But the team held firm in February and instead chose to add a piece for a run to the playoffs instead of subtracting. It has paid off as the team is entrenched in a playoff spot with just five games left in the season. Yet, despite the turnaround in fortunes, the up-and-down season has taken a toll on the Raptors’ head coach.
On Friday, ahead of the team’s big matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers, Nick Nurse revealed he is not completely sure if he will return next season after dealing with all the stress of the last four months.
“First of all, I think when this season gets done, we’ll evaluate everything, and even personally, I’m gonna take a few weeks to see where I’m at, you know? Like you said, where my head’s at. And just see how the relationship with the organization is and everything. It’s been 10 years for me now, which is a pretty good run. I don’t know, over those 10 years, we got to be up there in the number of wins with anybody in the league. I don’t know even know where that is, but we’ve had a lot of big seasons.”
– Nick Nurse (h/t ESPN)
The Toronto Raptors head coach will reportedly make $8 million in the final year of his current contract next season.