Report: Raptors to hire Adrian Griffin as lead assistant coach

Voice of the Raptors Paul Jones joins the Jeff Blair Show to discuss why sometimes it's better for a team to wait until after the NBA Draft to find an undrafted gem, like Fred VanVleet, and hopefully Rawle Alkins out of Arizona.

The Toronto Raptors are set to hire Adrian Griffin as a lead assistant on new head coach Nick Nurse’s staff, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.

Griffin was previously an assistant coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The 43-year-old Griffin is a nine-season NBA veteran, spending time with the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls and Seattle SuperSonics.

Following the end of his playing career, the former shooting guard worked two seasons as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks, then spent five seasons with the Bulls as an assistant under head coach Tom Thibodeau.

He also spent time as an assistant with the Orlando Magic and most recently with the Thunder, who hired him in June, 2016.

Griffin, known as a defensive-minded coach, worked with the U.S. men’s national team that captured gold at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2014. The American roster for that tournament included a bevy of superstars, including Raptors forward DeMar DeRozan, Stephen Curry, DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis and James Harden, among others.

In the 2014-15 NBA.com GM Survey, a poll where general managers are asked to vote on a variety of subjects, Griffin was tied with Tyronn Lue as the league’s second best assistant coach. In the most recent survey, the Wichita, Kansas, native also received votes.

The Raptors parted with head coach Dwane Casey in May and promoted Nurse in June from his previous role of assistant coach.

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