Raptors big man Precious Achiuwa has been sidelined since November 9 after sustaining partial ligament tears in his right ankle and will remain on the shelf for the foreseeable future. Head coach Nick Nurse told reporters on Monday that it will be another two or three weeks before the team even has a clearer sense of a timeline for Achiuwa’s return, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca.
One silver lining of Achiuwa’s injury is that it has given two other Raptors bigs an opportunity to prove their mettle as regular contributors.
Veteran forward/center Thaddeus Young has averaged 10.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 3.1 APG, and 1.6 SPG in eight games (26.7 MPG) since Achiuwa went down, while forward Juancho Hernangomez has averaged 6.6 PPG and 6.5 RPG in the same eight games (24.2 MPG). Neither player was a rotation mainstay during the early part of the season.
Here’s more on the Raptors:
- Young and Hernangomez were in the Raptors’ starting five on Monday vs. Cleveland, even with forward Pascal Siakam back in the lineup for the first time in 10 games. As Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes, Gary Trent Jr. came off the bench for the first time this season and just the fourth time as a Raptor, while Scottie Barnes was a reserve for the first time in his NBA career.
- Nurse didn’t say whether the new-look lineup would stick beyond Monday’s game, but explained to reporters that he wanted to maintain some continuity and not have so many players who were coming off absences (Siakam, Barnes) or struggling (Trent) in his starting five.
- While both Barnes and Trent said on Monday that they were fine with the change, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca suggests that Barnes “didn’t seem thrilled about his demotion” to the bench. When he received some push-back on his interpretation, Lewenberg posted the video clip of Barnes addressing the move, tweeting that the reigning Rookie of the Year “didn’t sound like somebody who was psyched about his (temporary) move to the bench.” Lewenberg expects Barnes to be back in the starting five in short order if he shows he’s healthy and can be more consistent.
Nobody is excited about moving to the bench. Barnes isn’t making a big deal about it, so the media needs to stop overstating and sensationalising his opinions (directed at Lewinberg and TSN, not at Hoops Rumors).
Toronto media is notoriously rough
I always thought reporters were supposed to be on the home teams side.
You have this great Talent who’s looking like he has all the tools, just needs some refining and sculpting like any Great in their first few years. It’s looking like he enjoys the city, wants it to be his 2nd home. Is always cheering on teammates, putting the team on his back as a sophomore with everyone hurt while he’s also hurt. Doing anything the coaches ask, giving his time to charity and most importantly, not making waves or getting himself in trouble
And this is the story Josh wants to run with, a fierce competitor disappointed he’s not starting?
That’s what you want!!! He didn’t call out Nurse, he didn’t say Juancho is garbage and is stealing his minutes
TSN needs better quality reporters
Toronto appears to be on the verge of either making a blockbuster trade to attempt another title run, or unloading most everybody except Barnes, and rebuild. Don’t think they continue to sit in “no man’s land” where they are now.
where are u getting this idea ? they have stayed above 500 without Siakam. they have an excellent bench. OJ is playing beyond anything I ever expected… they should look to add… A guy like Donovan Mitchell would put this team as a serious contender.
You clearly don’t understand how the franchise operates then
Nurse is doing his job. He’s trying to keep enough 3 pt shooting on court. That’s always going to be a challenge when each of a team’s two best players is not a reliable 3 pt shooter or a C. A stretch 5 would help. Not sure Achiuwa is quite that, but maybe. Young certainly isn’t. Staggering minutes for Siakam and Barnes in the early parts of the game is a good idea, regardless, particularly coming off an absence.
Managing rotations hasn’t been Nurse’s a strength of his. He has many but he has a tendency to ride us too long without looking past the immediate situation. I understand it’s to maximize wins but it’s not worth it if it means a small group that can be relied upon.
Be nice if injuries weren’t what got him to manage the rotations better.