The Toronto Raptors have recalled Delon Wright, Anthony Bennett, and Bruno Caboclo from Raptors 905 of the D-League, the team announced.
All three players were assigned on the weekend, helping lift the 905 to just their second two-game winning streak of the season. The 905 beat Westchester with all three assignees facotirng in big, then beat Iowa despite somewhat poor showings from Caboclo and Bennett.
Wright and Bennett getting recalled isn’t particularly surprising, as it was actually a moderate surprise they traveled with the junior club from Mississauga to Iowa for Monday’s game. With the Raptors on a seven-game home-stand without a back-to-back, there should be ample practice time, and the absence of DeMarre Carroll means the Raptors ran with just 11 players Monday. Caboclo’s recall is somewhat surprising, though I suppose I shouldn’t have presumed he’d remain on the road with the 905 full-time.
Once everyone was kept with the team for Monday, I expected them to be kept through the week, as a 905 back-to-back Thursday and Friday provides a nice opportunity for more minutes. It’s possible with the 905 in Erie on Thursday and Westchester on Friday, the Raptors could send Caboclo and one or two others back for additional run in those games. The 905 also play Sunday in Grand Rapids, so it could be a quick recall for a day of practice ahead of three games in four nights.
The 905 aren’t at home until Jan. 27, a single-game stop before another lengthy road trip. Managing assignments grows much tougher when the teams aren’t in the same place for quick shuttle service, but given how little the bottom third of the roster has played and how East-heavy the 905 schedule is, there should still be ample opportunity. General manager Dan Tolzman told me a few weeks back that the organization had only planned as far as the London trip in terms of general assignment strategy, so it’s possible the team is taking things on a game-to-game or week-to-week basis.
The affiliation has still provided a great deal of benefit, however difficult the up-and-down is to manage. The players have all spoken highly of the opportunity to get increased run, the D-League coaches have been impressed with the speed of the development, and the NBA coaches have been appreciative of the game-readiness of the prospects when called on. Exhausting though it may be to keep track of who is where, consider the alternative: Five roster spots being used on long-term projects who aren’t getting any game run whatsoever. This is a major step forward for the organization, it’s just difficult to evaluate the results in such a short time frame, with the players getting so few minutes at the NBA level to show growth.
Wright has been more than solid on the offensive end for the 905, averaging 18 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.7 steals with a 62.6 true-shooting percentage in 12 games. His defense, thought to be the most NBA-ready part of his game, has lagged behind some, particularly in the pick-and-roll, which speaks to how difficult the jump from college is at that end of the floor. The team’s offense has been much steadier with Wright, scoring 122.2 points per-100 possessions, well above the team’s 16th-ranked 101.8 PPC mark overall. The No. 20 pick has seen 23 minutes of NBA action over eight appearances.
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Bennett, meanwhile, has been more up and down in his performance than Wright has been in his location. After working through a back issue to start the new year, Bennett had a great showing Saturday, only to succumb to some poor shot selection Monday. He’s now played 84 minutes over four D-League outings, averaging 11 points and 3.3 rebounds with a 41.6 true-shooting percentage.
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The struggles of Bennett are perhaps magnified by the strong play of Ronald Roberts, whose spot Bennett is ostensibly taking on the Raptors’ roster. I explained that situation in detail Saturday, but the already high volume of questions I receive about it will continue to rise if Roberts keeps outproducing Bennett even at the D-League level, on a per-game and per-minute and per-possession basis. It may not be fair to evaluate Bennett’s progress in fewer than 150 minutes (he’s played 58 over 10 NBA appearances, too), so hopefully he’s assigned again soon.
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As has been the case all year, Caboclo remains hot and cold, as you’d expect from someone with so little experience getting so much playing time. He followed what may have been his best game of the year Saturday with one of his worst Monday, but that’s part of the process. The important thing is that Caboclo is much better now than at the start of the season if one is able to zoom out to evaluate his skill development, decision making, and defense.
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In 19 D-League games, Caboclo’s averaging 13.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, one steal, and 1.6 blocks with a 46.1 true-shooting percentage. He’s totalled two minutes over two NBA appearances, the most electrifying damn two minutes of the season.
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The Raptors are in action Wednesday against the Boston Celtics, a game none of these players will see time in unless there’s garbage time.
