The Toronto Raptors have assigned Bruno Caboclo to Raptors 905 of the D-League, the team announced.
With the parent club in action down the road at the Air Canada Centre against the Memphis Grizzlies, Caboclo will be in uniform as the junior squad hosts the Canton Charge at the Hershey Centre. Both games tip off at 6 p.m..
Caboclo’s assignment was a predictable one given that he would have been inactive for the Raptors, anyway. It’s actually a little surprising he wasn’t assigned Saturday, as he could have made the trip from Chicago to Canton rather than returning to Toronto for practice. But there’s value in being around the NBA club and getting a close look from the bench and in practice, and the Raptors may be looking to ease Caboclo’s workload some to prevent him from hitting a wall – he’s already played 779 D-League minutes this season, blowing away the amount he played last year or the year prior in Brazil.
In those minutes, Caboclo’s shown marked improvement, particularly in terms of on-court awareness. His efficiency is still pedestrian and he’s prone to over-fouling on the defensive end, but his shot selection, recognition of passing opportunities off the bounce, and help defense have all gotten stronger, even as he tries to learn a new position with spot time at power forward. In 24 games, he’s averaging 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.8 blocks while shooting 38 percent from the floor and 34.4 percent on threes.
The outside stroke is the stat most seem to gravitate toward, as Caboclo’s potential in the shorter-term is as a so-called 3-and-D player. He’s still a few leaps and bounds from being NBA-ready, but with his length, that shot is going to be almost unblockable. He has a fluid stroke and doesn’t lack for confidence, and looking at a sample that covers more ground than just his 905 time this year, his percentage is moderately encouraging. The guess here is that it trends upward the rest of the season, too – he’s 19 for his last 35 in the D-League, an admittedly small sample but one that’s corrected what always felt like a percentage that was too low given how good the shot looks in aesthetic terms.
Caboclo’s been with the Raptors since Feb. 8, when he was recalled and saw a season-high 1:43 of action against the Detroit Pistons. Given the organization only had their assignment plans planned out through January, it’s difficult to guess whether Caboclo will rejoin the the Raptors on Monday and then home games Wednesday and Friday or head out with the 905 for a three-game road trip. The guess is the latter, barring an injury at the NBA level, as it seems unlikely Caboclo would be active, anyway.
