Delon Wright had about as good a debut as anyone could hope with Raptors 905 on Wednesday.
Assigned to the D-League on Tuesday to get additional run after playing just 10 at the NBA level so far, Wright made the most of his 37 minutes as the 905 hosted the Idaho Stampede. The No. 20 overall pick shot 9-of-9 from the floor, hit his lone three, and went 5-of-5 at the line, finishing with 24 points on perfect shooting. He also added two rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Here’s Wright after the game:
Head coach Jesse Murmuys told Raptors Republic on Tuesday that Wright wasn’t being assigned to work on any specific part of his game, but primarily to get minutes. Murmuys pointed out that Wright contributes in so many ways and on both ends of the floor, so the 905 weren’t necessarily looking for him to carry a scoring load. The D-League’s worst offense so far this season, the 905 instead leaned heavily on Wright, particularly early in the game as they built a 20-point half-time lead.
I just finished watching the game about half an hour ago, and the second-half near-collapse looked a lot like the 905 have for long stretches in the early parts of the season. Turnovers crept back in, which let Idaho get out and run a bit in the other direction, despite the speed and athleticism lineups without Sim Bhullar possessed. The lead dwindled to as small as a single point, but Ronald Roberts split a pair at the line and the miss bounced around long enough that the Stampede had no real chance at a game-tying or game-winning heave at the buzzer.
The 905 hung on for the 93-91 win to improve to 2-4 – read the recap here – but the story is Wright.
As Murmuys is quick to point out, the 905 exist foremost because of and for the development of the team’s NBA prospects, and Wright made the most of that opportunity. His forays to the rim are so unique and creative that he opens up baskets and lanes for himself that most players wouldn’t find, and his amoebic dribbling makes him a regular at the charity stripe as defenders struggle to figure out his path and timing. Wright didn’t distribute quite as much as expected, but the assist total was deflated some by teammates missing shots (non-Wright 905ers shot 42.6 percent and were 5-of-18 from outside). It was a great performance, an encouraging one, and one that Norman Powell was quick to ask about in the locker room after the Raptors’ own victory (he was really pumped for Wright).
It’s unclear if Wright will stay with the 905 through Sunday’s home game, as the Raptors play a Saturday-Sunday back-to-back and may prefer to have the additional body.
Ronald Roberts also made his 905 debut, finishing with 11 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks. He stands to make a huge impact this season, which you can read more about here.
