The Raptors were Jordan Nwora’s intended home. We’ll now ascertain how long.
ChicagoWas something traded? Or was it fate?
Today, Jordan Nwora is a member of the Raptors, which seems appropriate, if not destiny.
Around the time Nwora was seven years old, he was hanging around Buffalo’s Erie Community College, where his father, Alex, was and still is the men’s basketball coach, during the Vince Carter period of Raptors training camp.
The younger Nwora’s first NBA event was the 2016 All-Star Game in Toronto (“I remember that weekend being freezing,” he said), and his only excuse for missing out on the 2019 Raptors championship parade with a group of his Buffalo friends was due to some school obligations (“Had I been in town at the time, I would have gone,” he said).
Oh, and he’s from Nigeria too. Jordan has known the vice-chairman of the Raptors for the whole of his life, and his father has known Masai Ujiri for many years.
Thus, while it’s possible to argue that Nwora’s arrival in Toronto as a result of last week’s Pascal Siakam trade with the Indiana Pacers wasn’t fate, it’s also possible to argue that the basketball gods had some say in it.
Nwora remarked, “It’s weird how stuff comes full circle,” on Monday following the Raptors’ workout at the Bulls’ practice space. “People are enthusiastic and eager to travel to Toronto to witness some games; all of my friends and relatives from back home are still there. It’s been fantastic.
Nwora, a 25-year-old former Milwaukee Bucks second-round selection (45th overall in 2020), will have every chance to maximize his time with the Raptors.
The six-foot-eight small forward will get much more time to shine after he burst into the scene with a 24-point, nine-rebound, six-assist performance in Toronto’s 126-125 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.
The Raptors need to evaluate Nwora in order to determine what kind of player they have on a long-term roster. As general manager, he, Jontay Porter, and Gradey Dick will chip away at the minutes of Bruce Brown, Thad Young, and Gary Trent Jr. To give the young people a chance to showcase their skills, Bobby Webster and Ujiri Mull swap prospects for the three veterans.
Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic stated on Monday, “I told (Nwora) he’s going to get an opportunity to go out there and that I expect him to step up, especially in a defensive role.” “He’s an offensive player with talent.” He hasn’t performed well enough on defense in the past, and I’m seriously challenging him on that.
“There is nothing that can stop him from being a strong defensive player, and that is what I want him to become. He’s large. He’s physically fit. He moves around a lot. He is able to move side to side. His level of focus, attention, and effort needs to be far higher.
Nwora views joining the Raptors as an opportunity to revitalize his career. He spent a season and a half playing a decent lot for the Bucks, where he won a championship in 2021 as a rookie. In the previous season, he was a part of the historic transaction between Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Brooklyn, and Phoenix that resulted in the Suns acquiring Kevin Durant from the Nets. Nowra went on to start 11 of the Pacers’ 24 final-round games.
When Nwora was the odd man out of the rotation during Indiana’s explosive start to the season, everything went wrong. There’s a fresh chance to take it now.
“I hope that by taking this next step, I can establish myself as a mainstay and serve as a solid supporting cast member for actors such as Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, and Quick (Immanuel Quickley).”
It might not be foolish to wager on Nwora to succeed if someone believes in fate, destiny, or anything else similar.
Speaking of the move, he remarked, “It felt like a tremendous homecoming to me.” “I doubt Masai ever would have imagined that I would be here, but here we are. I have job to do.
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