Photo credit: KarynStepien.com
The Toronto Raptors have assigned Bruno Caboclo to Raptors 905 of the G-League, the team announced Tuesday.
Because the Raptors have made historic numbers of assignments and recalls the last two seasons, we don’t put a post up for every time a player is sent down or brought back up. We do note it in the “Gameday” or “Pre-game news & notes” posts.
We mention it here in isolation because Caboclo is a unique case – now in his fourth year in the NBA, both player and union had to approve this assignment. Caboclo could have refused, and by accepting it, it’s clear the team’s message about his development path is getting through and he’s open to continue working to improve at the G-League level, even though he’s done two seasons there already. Logically, this makes plenty of sense, but it warrants mentioning, procedurally, because he had to give the okay.
This will be Caboclo’s fourth year in the G-League, although his freshman NBA season saw him play sparingly with an affiliate not controlled by the Raptors. In the 905’s inaugural 2015-16 season, Caboclo averaged 14.7 points on 52-percent true shooting and chipped in 6.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.8 blocks in 34.3 minutes. His minutes were trimmed to 27.1 last year on a far superior 905 team, and his numbers dropped accordingly, to 9.9 points on 50.2-percent true shooting, 5.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, one steal, and 1.2 blocks. The drop in offensive efficiency in a reduced role was concerning, and Caboclo remained roughly a 33-percent 3-point shooter on a high volume of attempts, but he took major strides as a defender and in his transition to playing more power forward. By the time the finals rolled around, he was a major factor in securing a championship, posting a 61.6 true-shooting percentage in seven playoff games with a plus-8.4 net rating.
Alfonzo McKinnie was assigned to the 905 yesterday. Both should be in the lineup for Wednesday’s 905 home opener, though each could also be recalled for tonight’s NBA home game and then re-assigned tomorrow morning. The 905 could use the help, having lost Kyle Wiltjer and Edy Tavares to Europe within the first week of the season.
