WOLSTAT: Raptors still waiting for Otto Porter to complicate rotation questions

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Nick Nurse has some more time to figure out how his rotation might look once all of his players become available.

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That’s because the Raptors’ head coach said Thursday after practice that top free agency signing Otto Porter’s debut, once thought to be imminent, will actually come down the line.

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“Otto’s actually, he’s going to be out, personal reasons (against Philadelphia on Thursday at least),” Nurse said.

“For a bit. It will be a little bit.”

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Porter, who used to frustrate the Raptors while a member of the Washington Wizards, was signed away from the NBA champion Golden State Warriors, where he was a key reserve and sometime starter. Whenever he’s available he’ll be a factor, Nurse suggested.

“We want him back. He’s a high level player, high level shooter (career 40% three-point shotmaker). Certainly need (that). I would assume he’s going to get right into the rotation and we’ll figure out how that affects the rest (of the team),” Nurse said.

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The coach is as creative as it gets, but he will have to be even moreso this season because of the forward-laden, guard-lacking roster management has handed him.

Last year’s pickup, Thaddeus Young, has barely played after fitting in well down the stretch and in the playoffs. Precious Achiuwa and Chris Boucher have earned plenty of time and there’s also veteran Khem Birch, intriguing rookie Christian Koloko and sharp-shooting movie star Juancho Hernangomez on hand as viable options to round out the bench behind all-star Pascal Siakam, top defender O.G. Anunoby and rookie of the year Scottie Barnes.

Fred VanVleet, Siakam and Gary Trent Jr. are three of only seven players this season averaging 38 minutes or more a game.

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Nurse said he just had a chat with Young.

“He’s got to stay ready. I talked to him after the Miami game. And he was like: ‘You know, Coach, I’m ready and I’ll always be ready,’ and you know, totally with what we’re doing all that kind of stuff,” Nurse said.

“I wouldn’t say that I planned on not using him in Miami that night really just how it turned out and we’ll see. We’re going to need him, there’s just no doubt about it … It’s kind of a night to night thing.”

Young has made three appearances, totalling 28 minutes, this season. He was in and out of San Antonio’s rotation last year until the Raptors acquired him and played him about 20 minutes a night.

TALK THE TALK

Siakam went off on the Sixers on Wednesday and will try to do so again in the rematch on Friday. Former teammate P.J. Tucker, a standout defender and one of the league’s most vocal trash talkers, tried to throw Siakam off, but it didn’t work.

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What was Tucker saying? “A Umm, nothing, nothing. You know, friendly competition, that’s all. Nothing there,” Siakam claimed after the game.

A “Hey man, I’m just going to say this. It is what it is. I’m going to go out there and compete to the highest level no matter what. I am always going to go out and get my respect, no matter what. I put the work in and I’m never going to back down from anybody.

“I hope it makes them guard me a little bit more,” Siakam said, getting a dig in again the Sixers, who let Siakam shoot from deep and got punished when he was hitting just about everything early on.

“Again, I don’t think it really matters what they do. At the end of the day I just gotta continue to get to do what I do and even if they go under, I can still find a way to attack and defence and do what I need to do. Just understand the balance between taking those threes and also making plays because at the end of the day I feel like under/over I still got the advantage.”

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WEIRD BUT GOOD

The NBA added two-game sets this season in an effort to cut down on travel and the players are adjusting. Toronto already played Miami consecutively and is about to take on the Sixers for the second time this week.

Barnes said the format is “alright, (but) it’s not what I like,” adding he thinks it’s more fun to match up with a new team.

A Chris Boucher isn’t a huge fan yet either.

“It’s weird to see the same team every time but it is what it is, I don’t know the reason it is what it is but it is weird. I feel like I’m playing a video game,” Boucher said.

They did appreciate the playoff feel and the gameplay adjustments between games though. Barnes said the goal would be to make life harder for Sixers stars Joel Embiid and James Harden (he could have mentioned Tyrese Maxey as well, since the young guard has punished the Raptors for two seasons now).

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AROUND THE RIM

Wednesday marked the second time this season all five Raptors starters scored at least 15 points … Siakam’s next 20 point double-double will tie him with Kyle Lowry for the second-most in Raptors franchise history and break a tie with Damon Stoudamire. He has a ways to go to catch Chris Bosh, who did it 154 times before bolting to Miami … Toronto went 11-2 last season when shooting 50% from the field … Toronto notched 32 assists against Philadelphia, the most in a game by the team since 34 last March.

@WolstatSun