The Toronto Raptors have recalled Bruno Caboclo and Norman Powell from Raptors 905 of the D-League, the team announced.
Both the parent club and affiliate are off for the holidays until Dec. 26, and it’s possible one or both could be re-assigned to the 905 on Saturday. With the Raptors as banged up as they are right now – they were down to nine healthy bodies by the end of Tuesday’s game, one of whom is fighting through an illness (Cory Joseph) – it’s possible one or both remain with the NBA team for a few extra days. The Raptors then play on the 28th, 30th, and Jan. 1, while the 905 are in action on the 30th and 31st.
Caboclo has been assigned and recalled enough times now that the Go Bus from Union Station to the Hershey Centre has been branded the Bruno Bullet. In 15 games with the 905, he’s averaging 14.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, one steal, and 1.8 blocks while shooting 38.6 percent from the floor and 29.4 percent from long-range. He’s shown incremental improvement in several areas, most notably his help defense and his comfort level with playing some power forward. Shot selection and passing off the dribble remain points of emphasis, too. For the most part, Caboclo’s play has been encouraging- he’s already blown past his previous career high in minutes at any one level, and that’s far more important in Year Two of his development plan than shooting percentages.
Powell, meanwhile, has shown he may be a bit advanced for the junior circuit. In three games, he’s averaged 26.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, four assists, and 2.3 steals while shooting 47 percent from the floor and getting to the line 6.7 times per-game. His 3-point stroke remains a work in progress and he got a little shot-happy trying to keep the 905 in a tight overtime loss Tuesday, but D-League opponents have had little answer when he takes the ball to the rack.
“He’s too good for the D-League,” teammate Lucas Nogueira said of Powell on Tuesday. (It’s perhaps worth noting here that it’s become a regular thing when the teams play simultaneously that the younger players will ask me how the 905 did – these guys seem to genuinely care about how the others are doing.)
With the Raptors thinned out, Powell probably would have seen minutes Tuesday had he been with the big club. That’s the opportunity cost of D-League assignments, but the Raptors had little way of knowing James Johnson would sprain his ankle in warmups and Patrick Patterson would fall ill. Anthony Bennett and Delon Wright were called on instead, and both provided steady minutes thanks in part to their ability to stay well-conditioned with the 905.
