Toronto Raptors practice may be sparsely attended on Tuesday.
The Raptors have assigned Delon Wright and Bruno Caboclo to Raptors 905 of the D-League, the team announced Tuesday. Both played were assigned Monday, then recalled as emergency depth for the Raptors’ game against the Los Angeles Lakers, though neither saw any action as the Raptors were unable to put the Lakers away early enough to provide a garbage-time opportunity.
And so it continues for Wright and Caboclo, who have spent the better part of two weeks moving up and down between parent club and affiliate. It’s probably exhausting, but it’s the best way to maximize both their practice time and playing time. To that end, it will be interesting to see if both players remain with the 905 for Wednesday’s game or if they’re recalled as emergency depth for the Raptors once again. Without Wright and Caboclo, injuries have the Raptors rotation looking something like this:
PG – Lowry, Joseph
SG – Ross, Powell
SF – DeRozan, Johnson
PF – Scola, Patterson, Bennett
C – Biyombo
Wright probably wouldn’t stand to see too many minutes unless the game were a blowout, and while Caboclo is learning power forward, it’s probably too early for him to see any kind of meaningful NBA run. Even with depth concerns, the organization may deem it best to get both players another 30-35 minutes of real game action.
That action has been encouraging for Wright, who has shown marked improvement with the intricacies of team defense over three games. He’s also averaging 19.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 2.3 steals while shooting 67.6 percent, impressive numbers that aren’t all that surprising given where he was believed to be on the development curve entering the season. The extra minutes certainly won’t hurt Wright, but his presence with the 905 is more a product of strong guard depth than his being far away from NBA readiness.
In Caboclo’s case, the entire season will likely play out as it has so far, with constant trips back to the Raptors to let them check in on his progress and keep him familiar with the parent club. He remains a few steps from contributing, which is completely fine given the long-term plan for him. He’s averaging 14.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.7 blocks in 30.7 minutes, decent across-the-board production that speaks to him contributing at both ends of the floor. There’s plenty of work left to do, as Caboclo’s often dealt with foul trouble (he’s averaging four per game) and he’s been inefficient scoring, shooting 37.3 percent overall and 25.5 percent on 3-point attempts.
Raptors 905 host Erie on Wednesday before getting a big showcase at the Air Canada Centre on Friday morning at 11 against Maine. Westchester then comes to town Sunday, giving the 905 another taste of a more regular schedule and giving the players ample opportunity for minutes over the rest of the week. The plan is complicated some by the Raptors playing on each of those days and being banged up, so it will be interesting to see how the organization handles Wednesday and Sunday.
