The Toronto Raptors have assigned Anthony Bennett to Raptors 905 of the D-League, the team announced Sunday.
Bennett will play in the 905’s 2 p.m. game against the Delaware 87ers and then immediately be recalled to be available off the bench when the Raptors take on the Sacramento Kings at 6 p.m. Delon Wright has been recalled to the Raptors to make room for Bennett, as NBA teams may only assign up to three players at a time, and Norman Powell and Bruno Caboclo are also with the 905.
In heading to Mississauga, Bennett becomes the highest-drafted player ever to play in the D-League. The Former No. 1 overall pick was dealt from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Minnesota Timberwolves last offseason as part of the return for Kevin Love, only for the Wolves to cut bait and waive him this offseason. The Raptors swooped in with a one-year deal for the hometown product at the veteran’s minimum, being sure to warn that Bennett’s development is a long-term project, not a quick-return signing.
That’s been clear all season, with Bennett seeing just 48 total minutes over nine appearances. He’s averaged 1.6 points and 1.7 rebounds in those outings, shooting 21.4 percent from the floor and 1-of-8 on threes. Over 118 career games, he’s averaged 4.5 points and 3.3 rebounds, shooting 38.8 percent overall and 25 percent from long-range.
The assignment represents a good opportunity for Bennett to see how the work he’s put in during practices carries over. He’s often drenched at the end of pre-game warm-ups with the parent club, and the team’s coaching staff put him through the ringer daily. Whether that effort is resulting in better performance can only be evaluated within the context of actual games, and playing 30-plus minutes against a quality opponent in the Delaware 87ers should provide a nice measuring stick. It’s a similar logic to Powell’s assignment, which saw him play more minutes Saturday than he had over the last month.
On paper, Bennett has potential as a floor-spacing power forward able to crash the glass and help defend either forward spot. He hasn’t provided that value at the NBA level yet, dealing with myriad health issues before landing in Toronto and struggling to fight his way into the rotation since. The hope is that the conditioning and shooting work he’s put in will carry over in extended minutes, and the team says that the assignment was Bennett’s idea, borne out of a desire to get additional work in.
“Anthony came to us asking to use this double-header as an opportunity work on his game,” Jeff Weltman, the Raptors Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, said in a release. “This is an example of how we envisioned using our D-League team to improve our players.”
It’s good that Bennett was not only willing but eager to be assigned. He told me before the season he was open to getting more minutes with the 905, and requesting the assignment shows a great deal of maturity and desire to improve. Teammate Cory Joseph took a similar approach when glued to the bench with the San Antonio Spurs to great effect.
The Raptors continue to use the hell out of their exclusive affiliate down the highway, providing a master’s class in how to maximize every minute of practice and game time for their prospects.
