The Toronto Raptors have recalled Lucas Nogueira, Delon Wright, and Bruno Caboclo from Raptors 905 of the D-League.
All three were assigned for the 905’s loss to the Maine Red Claws on Saturday afternoon, and their recall was expected with the 905 now off until Friday. The Raptors play Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and so the coming week will give the trio the opportunity to be around the parent club, watch games from the bench, and, in the case of Nogueira and Wright, perhaps even see game action.
Nogueira was limited to 19 minutes Saturday in part because he might be called on Sunday against the Houston Rockets. Nogueira may be the team’s best option opposite Clint Capela, and while he’s only played three minutes of garbage time against Houston in the past, it might be a look head coach Dwane Casey wants to try out. Nogueira somewhat surprisingly saw 4:30 of second-quarter run against Utah on Wednesday and brought some nice energy to help turn the flow of the game around, and it’s likely Casey will remember that more than two mediocre performances in the D-League.
In nine games with the 905, Nogueira is averaging 9.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.1 blocks in 25.4 minutes while shooting 54 percent overall and 2-of-11 (!!) on threes. He’s played in 21 games for the Raptors, too, averaging 2.3 points and 1.5 rebounds in seven minutes and shooting 67.7 percent.
Wright, meanwhile, may not be in the plans for Sunday but could factor in Tuesday. The Raptors have been clear they’d like to get Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan some rest down the stretch, and Wright turned in a solid 31-minutes performance last Sunday when Lowry sat. Tuesday’s game against Brooklyn would seem like a prime opportunity to get DeRozan his own night off, or to limit the minutes of both All-Star guards, and Wright could factor in if that’s the case. His big opportunity against Detroit saw him look steady on offense, making a few really nice passes and knocking down two threes, but he struggled a great deal in pick-and-roll coverages.
The latter is something he did better with in Mississauga on Saturday, though he primarily played off-ball and Maine worked far more pick-and-pops that the team hotted rather than their usual ice strategy, so it’s perhaps a more sample to evaluate him from. He was unhappy with his 24 points and seven assists due to his seven turnovers, some of which may have been fatigue-related as he played 45 minutes, tying his career-high from Utah.
In Caboclo’s case, it’s unlikely he’s even activated for any of these games – he’s still at 27 career minutes – and it’s possible he spends time in Mississauga throughout the week. In 30 D-League games, he’s averaging 14.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, one steal, and 1.6 blocks while shooting 39.5 percent overall and 34.7 percent on threes. Those numbers are disappointing to some, but read here for a full status update that’s more indicative of his positive growth.
