The Toronto Raptors are in a tight series in the playoffs with a rookie playing significant minutes; that rookie is Norman Powell. Powell was a second round pick by the Raptors this past draft. Powell’s emergence started by playing for the Raptors 905, the Raptors D-League team, where Toronto’s prospects play instead of sitting on the bench and not getting any minutes in.
The 905 helped Bruno Caboclo, Norman Powell, Lucas Noguiera and Delon Wright greatly, as they are all promising prospects ready to burst onto the scene, just as Powell already has. The 905 gave all four of those players the chance to play regular minutes and gain confidence.
NBA playing time is hard to come by for youngsters at the end of the bench on a second-place team in the Eastern Conference. So Caboclo, Wright and Toronto’s other young guys trek west to the 5,000-seat Hershey Centre in Mississauga Ontario and take advantage of their assignments with the club’s new D-League team, Raptors 905.
Caboclo, selected 20th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft, is showing a different side from the quiet, baby-faced kid seen at the end of the Raptors bench wearing a suit. For the 905, he’s fearlessly taking threes, grabbing rebounds, driving to the rim, penetrating and dunking. After playing 37 games at just less than 38 minutes per contest, he averaged 14.7 points, 1.7 assists, 6.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Since Caboclo only plays when the Raptors are up by a lot in the fourth quarter, his NBA totals are just 0.5 points, 0.3 rebounds, and 0.2 assists per game.
“When Bruno can limit his mistakes, he’s a big-time defensive asset because his length really bothers guys,” said Raptors 905 coach Jesse Mermuys, a former Raptors assistant under Dwane Casey who was asked to lead this team in its first season, running the same systems the big club runs. “When he’s locked in and not making defensive errors, Bruno is so big-time. I’m switching him between the three and four, and it’s a lot to learn, but he’s making big strides.” (Raptors 905 website)
Caboclo, 20, says he feels far more comfortable playing 905 home games in nearby Mississauga than he did travelling to Fort Wayne, Ind., for last year’s D-League assignments.
“In Fort Wayne, it wasn’t the Raptors’ team, so they weren’t as focused on you,” Caboclo said. “With the 905, it’s so much better. They are more focused on us. Jesse is there for us.”
Usually players receive a text message informing them to report to the 905 the next day. Sometimes they practice and/or play with both teams on the same day – precisely why having a minor-league team so close by is such a luxury. It was shown by Anthony Bennett, Lucas Noguiera, Delon Wright, Norman Powell and Bruno Caboclo playing the afternoon game for the 905 then suiting up for the Raptors later that night.
The 905 is good for the Raptors as more and more prospects are coming into the system. With a top 10 pick this upcoming draft, the Raptors new rookie can start out in the D-League for the 905 instead of jumping right to the NBA.
