Recent injuries to the Raptors — perhaps you’ve heard about them — pretty much opens the lab for Nick Nurse to experiment. Given his documented unconventional way of thinking, Nurse can now get really creative with his lineups and rotations, because he’s doing it out of necessity. So far, some Raptors lineups have looked good, some were atrocious, and some played out the opposite of how it seemed it would go on paper.
On the semi-bright side here, it’s also a good thing the Raptors essentially have seven starter-calibre players. With Fred VanVleet perhaps back in the lineup soon, that means they’ll still have Kyle Lowry, VanVleet, OG Anunoby, and Serge Ibaka soaking up most of the minutes.