Raptors 905 acquired Nick Wiggins on Friday, continuing in earnest their multi-decade free agent pursuit of a certain budding Canadian superstar.
Nick Wiggins, of course, is the brother of Andrew Wiggins.
A 24-year-old two-guard from Toronto, Wiggins went undrafted out of Wichita State (with prior stops at Wabash Valley and Vincennes) in 2014. He split last season between the German league and the D-League, averaging 9.8 points and two rebounds in 23.9 minutes over 28 D-League appearances. He also knocked down 30.5 percent of his threes there, 33.3 percent of his triples in Germany, and 32.9 percent of his outside looks over his two seasons at Wichita State. That’s a skill the 905 will likely hone in on for refinement, looking to push Wiggins into a 3-and-D type in their aggressive, transition-oriented system.
Wiggins also appeared in three summer league tournaments over the past two summers and got into four preseason games with the Minnesota Timberwolves this year, scoring seven points in 13 total minutes. While there will be jokes about grabbing Wiggins because of who his brother is, the 6-foot-6 elder sibling has potential as a bench scorer and defender for the 905.
The 905 claimed Wiggins from the D-League’s available player pool while also adding Ronald Roberts, a move that had been expected for some time. Roberts joined the player pool too late to be added to the training camp roster, but the Raptors previously acquired his rights from the Santa Cruz Warriors and it was long believed he’d be a member of the team.
Roberts joined the Raptors for summer league and impressed enough that the team gave him a $75,000 guarantee to attend training camp in what now amounts to an effective supplement to his D-League salary. At the time it seemed he may have a shot at the 15th roster spot, but the team would later use that open spot to sign Anthony Bennett. A somewhat undersized power forward who makes up for it with ridiculous athleticism – the dude has more hops than your favorite double IPA – the 24-year-old Roberts should be a mainstay on 905 highlight reels.
He averaged 10.3 points and 9.5 rebounds with the Vegas Raptors and averaged 17.5 points and 11.9 rebounds while shooting 68.9 percent in 16 D-League games a season ago.
With Friday’s assignment of Bruno Caboclo and Lucas Nogueira, the 905 roster now stands at 15. One player from the team’s initial 11-man roster will need to be waived to make room for Wiggins and Roberts, as D-League teams are only permitted to have 12 non-NBA players on their roster at a time.
The team’s rotation for their season opening Saturday-Sunday back-to-back against Fort Wayne likely looks something like this (less the one player who will be waived):
PG – Shannon Scott, Jay Harris, Ashton Smith
SG – Scott Suggs, Melvin Johnson, Mike Anderson, Nick Wiggins
SF – Bruno Caboclo, Axel Toupane
PF – Ronald Roberts, Michael Kyser, Walter Pitchford
C – Lucas Nogueira, Sim Bhullar, Keanau Post
That rotation could be fluid as head coach Jesse Murmuys had less than two weeks to bring the expansion roster together. The 905 played one official exhibition game and two unofficial friendlies against Canadian teams, going 2-1 in the process but at times looking like, well, an expansion team. It could be a process but they’ve added a great deal of talent since camp ended and showed strides quickly in the three practice runs.
With a roster predicated on athleticism, defensive versatility, and a pace-and-space attack, plus the additions of Caboclo, Nogueira, Bhullar, Roberts, Wiggins, and more, this team should be wildly entertaining for fans who choose to invest in them. The team’s Mississauga home opener takes place on Thursday, and I believe tickets are still available.
