The conversations Nick Nurse has with the Raptors these days are about matters of great importance — life and death, social responsibility and the need for great change and great reconciliation.
Pick-and-rolls and playing rotations and matchups and jumbo lineups can wait. There are more important issues at hand.
Even with a path to defending the NBA title his team won almost a year ago to the day becoming clearer, Nurse finds himself listening to, learning from and working with his players on racism, police brutality and real-life issues that are far removed from the pampered existence of professional athletes as they go about their jobs.