The Toronto Raptors' sideline will have a different look when they take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.
According to multiple reports, head coach Nick Nurse will take a step back for the night, promoting lead assistant Adrian Griffin to acting head coach against the Sixers.
Per TSN's Josh Lewenberg, it was Nurse that approached Griffin with the idea in order to get him more repetitions from the head coaching post.
Nurse always speaks highly of his staff, thinks many of them will be NBA head coaches. Griffin said Nurse approached him about this opportunity today, wanted to get him HC reps. Griff: "He wants to see me grow... Awesome gesture by coach. It just shows the character that he has."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) August 12, 2020
Griffin, who enjoyed a nine-year NBA career from 1999-2008, has quickly risen up the coaching ranks since his playing career ended. He joined the Raptors at the beginning of the 2018-19 season after spending two seasons with Billy Donovan and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Often credited for his defensive schemes and strategies, Griffin is on a shortlist of assistants in line for a head coaching job in the coming years. Wednesday night, he'll have an invaluable opportunity to showcase his readiness to take the next step as a coach.
The Raptors play their second-to-last seeding game when they take on the 76ers at 6:30 ET Wednesday on TSN.
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