Reeling from an ugly loss to the Detroit Pistons, the Toronto Raptors are scrambling for a spark. Enter O Escolhido.
Bruno Caboclo has been recalled from Raptors 905, the team announced.
The Brazilian Dirk Nowitzki was assigned on Feb. 21, his latest in a long series of assignments to see extended run with Raptors 905. He got into four games over the course of eight days, helping the 905 go 2-2 despite the absence of All-Star forward Ronald Roberts.
Brazilian Dirk Nowitzki pic.twitter.com/bj36wvh605
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) February 28, 2016
In 27 games with the 905, Caboclo is now averaging 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, one steal, and 1.6 blocks in 32.7 minutes. The minutes load is really the most important note, as the second year of Caboclo’s long-term development plan simply calls for a serious jump in exposure to real, live, professional basketball. He’s already blown away his previous total in minutes played at any level, and while he appears to have maybe hit a bit of a wall of late, he’s also improved a great deal over the course of the season.
Bru-NO YOU DON'T pic.twitter.com/ieARWd7GJg
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) February 28, 2016
Those improvements don’t jump off the screen, necessarily, nor are they present possession to possession. His defensive awareness has made strides, with Caboclo growing much more comfortable using his length to help make up for strength deficiencies on the block. He angles his body and uses his arms well to funnel ball-handlers where the defensive scheme dictates, and he’s become savvy at using that length to trap on the baseline or when a ball-handler picks up his dribble.
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He’s still adjusting to spotting in at power forward some and can occasionally get lose in the pick-and-roll, but for the most part, the progress is encouraging. His length and lateral quickness can do a lot on their own if he can just learn to eliminate the easily exploitable areas, and he’s doing well in that regard. He’s definitely gotten smarter and more comfortable, and the 905 are 1.4 points per-100 possessions better at the defensive end when he’s on the court.
At the other end, the biggest development in Caboclo’s game has been shot selection. He’s still only shooting 39 percent on the season and 33.3 percent on threes, without getting to the line enough to balance those percentages out. That’s to be expected as he has the ball put in his hands and is afforded the opportunity to make plays he hasn’t before, and his decision-making is improving by the game. He’s scaled back the pull-up threes some – he takes a ton of above-the-break threes early in the clock or as a trailer in transition, and while he hits those at a slightly higher rate than his corner threes, they’re generally worse looks.
In the corners, he’s more fluid attacking off the catch if he determines there isn’t space to let fly. His handle remains a little loose and he’s a bit turnover prone as a result, but he’s more decisive and aggressive, and he’s begun to embrace using his body as he gets toward the paint, which should help increase his free-throw rate as he progresses.
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Part of the growth in awareness has been Caboclo trying to make more passes. Again, he’s a bit turnover prone, in part because his eyes light up, eager to pass when he sees an open shooter or someone in the dunker spot. These are the “good mistakes,” and he’s getting the necessary repetitions to get smarter about when and how to make those passes.
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There’s still plenty of work to be done, to be clear.
He’s only 20 and this is effectively his rookie D-League season, the second step on a long development curve. A pocket of the fanbase seems to remain annoyed that he’s not ready to contribute yet, eating a roster spot that can’t instead be given to a contributor. That’s the reality of the situation, and Caboclo honestly won’t be a “bust” or a “hit” for several seasons yet. The rest of the year will see him continue the back-and-forth along the Gardiner. From there, he’s got another long summer of work to put in. The hope, I’d imagine, is that he’s ready to move into more of a Norman Powell/Delon Wright D-League role next season, occasionally drawing conditioning stints but also spending ample time with the NBA club. And if that’s not the case, that will be OK too, tough though it can be to remain patient.
For now, what’s important is that Caboclo today is a much better player than Caboclo at Christmas, who was better than Caboclo in October, who was better than Caboclo at summer league, and so on. So long as those gradual improvements continue, he and the organization are on the right track.
It’s unclear how long Caboclo will re-join the parent club. The Raptors begin a seven-game home-stand on Wednesday while the 905 begin a six-game home stretch of their own on Thursday. Caboclo is likely joining the Raptors to get a few practices in, sit with the team Wednesday, and then get re-assigned for a pair of games over the weekend. I’d also hazard a guess a couple of other Raptors will join him, with the 905’s Thursday and Saturday games occurring on non-game days for the Raptors. (And hey, if you’ll be at either, come say hi.)
