Nurse is the only head coach to win a title in both the G League and NBA, and is now likewise the only one to win Coach of the Year in both the G League and NBA. Following his success with the Raptors, Nurse was also hired as head coach of the Canadian nationwide group..
In the previous couple of years, the NBA has actually held a big party to reveal its major awards, however thats certainly not possible in the time of the coronavirus pandemic. Rather, like everything else nowadays, the honors are being distributed virtually. Early on Saturday afternoon, the league revealed Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse received the very first honor as 2019-20 NBA Coach of the Year..
Nurse ran away with the award, making 90 of the 100 first-place votes for a total of 470 total points. Mike Budenholzer (5) of the Milwaukee Bucks, Billy Donovan (4) of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Nate McMillan (1) of the Indiana Pacers were the only other coaches to receive first-place votes. Budenholzer finished second in general voting, while Donovan was 3rd..
After losing Kawhi Leonard last summer, expectations were naturally reduced for the defending champs, but they got right where they left off, going 53-19 in the shortened season. Much of that was because of the management of veterans like Kyle Lowry and Marc Gasol, as well as the continued introduction of Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet. But Nurse also deserved a great deal of credit for the method he prepared his group on the defensive end, and kept them on track despite all sorts of injuries. On Saturday, he got it.
In the past couple of years, the NBA has actually held a huge celebration to announce its significant awards, but thats undoubtedly not possible in the time of the coronavirus pandemic. Eventually he got his shot in the NBA, signing up with the Raptors as an assistant coach under Dwane Casey. When the Raptors fired Casey in 2018, they promoted Nurse to the head coaching position, and hes been an instantaneous success.
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Nurses training journey has actually taken him all over the world, and hes hung around coaching both in Belgium and England, where he was named British Basketball League Coach of the Year two times, and dealt with the British nationwide team. Upon returning to the United States, Nurse operated in the G League for a variety of years, being named G League Coach of the Year in 2011..
Ultimately he got his shot in the NBA, joining the Raptors as an assistant coach under Dwane Casey. When the Raptors fired Casey in 2018, they promoted Nurse to the head training position, and hes been an instantaneous success. In his very first two years in charge he led the group to their very first title in franchise history and now has an NBA Coach of the Year award to opt for the other prizes in his case..
