Title: Raptors Stock Watch: Who made the most of short-handed rotation opportunities?
Date: March 16, 2021
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic Toronto, I broke down who has made a case for more (or less) playing time once the team returns to health.
To be as reductive as possible, the Raptors will be better off when the five players and six coaches they’re currently without are able to return.
A shocker, I realize. And yes, there are still some questions that need answering, like who is returning when, and how they are after entering the league’s health and safety protocols. Getting past the two-week marker is no assurance of better times immediately ahead. You have to hang your hope on something, though, and returning a third of the roster and half the staff is about as big a “something” as there is.
When that happens, the players who have been asked to step up during these absences will return to their earlier roles further down the depth chart. Unlike his friend Dallas Green, Nick Nurse remains the grand optimist. Maybe these last five losses can pay dividends down the line?
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 