The Toronto Raptors recalled Bruno Caboclo and Delon Wright from Raptors 905 of the D-League on Sunday, the team announced.
Both players were recalled following the 905’s loss to the Delaware 87ers. Neither will be active as the Raptors host the Phoenix Suns, as despite the drive from the Hershey Centre to the Air Canada Centre being reasonable within a 75-minute window, both players played at least 36 minutes this afternoon.
Recalling Wright isn’t surprising. The Raptors have been utilizing the close geographic proximity of their D-League affiliate masterfully so far, maximizing every available minute. Wright was sent down for a heavy workload and a few practices, recalled to practice with the parent club, sent back down when the Raptors went on the road, played big minutes again, and has now been recalled with a slow week in Mississauga forthcoming. The 905 don’t play again until Saturday, and head coach Jesse Murmuys told Raptors Republic on Sunday that Tuesday is scheduled as a rest and maintenance day for the baby Raptors. Calling Wright up, then, keeps him getting regular work in practice, brings another body to the backcourt for drills, and allows the coaching staff to touch base with him.
Wright played 73 minutes over two D-League games, scoring 44 points on 17-of-23 shooting and adding 10 rebounds, 11 assists, five steals, and two blocks. He shot perfectly from the floor Wednesday and filled the stat sheet Sunday, making some truly advanced plays with the ball in his hands at the offensive end. Defensively, he performed well when face-guarding but had some angling issues icing side pick-and-rolls, a point of emphasis for Murmuys. He was better in that area Sunday but had a few errors in judgment as a help defender Sunday, including coming off of a corner shooter on the strong side on a key fourth-quarter possession. The icing and the help rotations are justifiable things for a rookie to struggle with, and it’s a key reason why getting a full minutes workload in the D-League is a huge benefit – these things look far different in execution than they do in practice.
It’s unclear if Wright’s D-League time has wrapped for now or if he’ll be sent back down when the Raptors hit the road Wednesday. With the 905 off all week, the Raptors will have the option of bringing Wright on the road for an extra body or assigning him to continue to get practice time while having him nearby for the second half of the back-to-back on Thursday if need be.
Bringing Caboclo back up to the main roster is a less obvious call but still a reasonable one. It allows the coaching staff the opportunity to check in on his skill development while also getting him additional work in lieu of an off day, something made easier by the fact that both teams run the same schemes and run very similar practices.
In seven games with the 905, Caboclo is averaging 14.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.7 blocks while shooting 37.3 percent from the floor and 25.5 percent on 7.3 3-point attempts. Those numbers are a mix of good and bad, but it’s worth remembering that the biggest step for Caboclo this season is getting minutes, which he has precious few of as a pro. Caboclo’s already at 215 minutes for the season, far more than the 87 he totaled across the D-League and NBA last season.
Offensively, Caboclo’s shot has great form and is mostly unblockable when he’s set. He’s still improving his footwork on pull-ups, and while he creates space for himself well with his length, his shooting mechanics suffer when he does. His handle is coming along, too, but his drives and still be out of control. Perhaps most encouraging, he’s at least seeing opportunities to pass when on the move now, something he was struggling with as recently as summer league. On the defensive end, he’s using his length well and staying active but is subject to getting bullied by strong opponents and has dealt with foul trouble in multiple games. That’s not a bad thing, as Caboclo helping aggressively and learning – he’s been playing a good deal of power forward, where his assignments change – is more important than him simply guarding his man in order to stay on the floor.
Expect Caboclo to be assigned back to the 905 on Wednesday.
