TORONTO – The Toronto Raptors didn’t draft Dwight Powell, but they probably should have.
While Canadians have been hitting the NBA in waves, nine taken in the first round in the past five years, the six-foot-10 forward from North York, Ont., has been one of Canadian basketball’s pleasant surprises.
He’s made his mark in the league without the benefit of a first-rounder’s pedigree, taken 45th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in 2014, traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, traded to the Boston Celtics and finally traded to the Dallas Mavericks, all in the space of six months.
And yet he rolled into the Air Canada Centre as a key member of the Mavericks’ rotation, having earned 19 minutes of playing time coming off the bench for Rick Carlisle, averaging 8.3 points and 5.9 rebounds a game while shooting 52.3 per cent from the floor.
He played only a minor role on Tuesday night as the Raptors outlasted Dallas 103-99 to improve to 18-12 before the Christmas break. Powell only played 15 minutes, grabbing four rebounds and scoring three points.
But on the whole he’s been a counter-point to the Raptors’ Anthony Bennett, the first Canadian taken first overall in the NBA draft, yet who has struggled to carve out a niche for himself.
“I’m trying to get more and more comfortable every game,” said Powell before the game. “I’m here to relieve guys, bring energy. Compete, like everyone, but bring energy, and be active especially defensively and mix things up.”
In other words, he knows his role.
He’s a great example to anyone trying to make it in the NBA, but not the least for a number of young Raptors players – Bennett included – trying without much success to crack coach Dwane Casey’s rotation.
Powell’s path to being a solid NBA contributor included 12 separate NBA Development League assignments last season, split almost equally between the Maine Red Claws, the Celtics’ affiliate, and the Texas Legends belonging to the Mavericks.
He averaged 26 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 60 per cent from the floor in the NBA’s minor league, the kind of production that can’t help but open some eyes. It encouraged Powell to believe he could do some damage in the NBA and encouraged others to give him the chance.
“It had a positive impact, even if it was just to keep in shape. Being able to compete is the best way to do it,” he said. “For most people in the first few years you spend a lot of time on your own, trying to develop your game. So it’s a chance to test stuff out, or even just run through the offence live.
“On veteran teams they don’t practice as much and the practices aren’t as long, they definitely aren’t as hard and not as much banging, so the D-League is definitely an opportunity to get your feet wet, especially early on in our career.”
The Raptors are in the earliest stages of their D-League investment with their Raptors 905 affiliate in Mississauga, west of the city. So far the results have been hard to measure, but at times against Dallas there were signs of a payoff.
The most active Raptors roster player on the 905 has been first-round pick Delon Wright.
He’s been up and down to the 905 so often he doesn’t even need to use his GPS to get there anymore, he’s got the route from his downtown condo to the Hershey Centre memorized.
“I’ve been there like 20 times now,” he said.
A lot of times he doesn’t know where he’s going to be from day to day. He typically gets a text at about 10 p.m. letting him know where to report to practice or if he’s dressing for the 905 or the Raptors. He would rather be getting regular minutes in the NBA, but with Kyle Lowry and Cory Joseph ahead of him that’s not in the cards, so he’s embraced his D-League moments.
“At first I just looked at it like I have to use this to get better, and then I just started enjoying myself,” he said.
He’s played eight D-League games already, getting 35.6 minutes an outing and averaging 16.4 points, 7.3 assists and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 54 per cent from the floor and 43.5 per cent from three – a significant development for Wright, whose knock as the 20th pick in the 2015 draft was his shooting.
“It’s good competition,” he said. “It’s better than college, but you feel confident. You feel like you should be here [in the NBA] and so you’re just trying to prove to yourself and everybody that you don’t belong there, that you belong here.”
The Raptors were short-handed Tuesday night and so they needed all the help they could get. Jonas Valanciunas (hand) and DeMarre Carroll (knee) are close to returning to action but weren’t activated last night. When James Johnson sprained his ankle in pre-game warm-ups the Raptors were suddenly down to 10 players. And then Patrick Patterson fell ill and they were down to nine.
The Raptors got off to a great start – they led 32-16 after the first quarter. As a result Casey was able to go to his bench. Wright got the longest stint of playing time in his young NBA career – seven minutes in the first half – and didn’t look out of place, although his box score impact was a lone assist and a lone rebound.
Also in the mix was Lucas Nogueira, whose bright play prior to his own ankle injury was credited to some early-season minutes with the 905. He helped the Raptors hold the fort in the first half with eight minutes.
And then there was Bennett, who played a season-high 10 minutes, all in the second half, and had a season-high five points. Not big numbers, but nothing to sneeze at for someone who had played just 12 minutes in the Raptors’ last 19 games.
It may be a coincidence that Bennett’s first extended run came after he requested an assignment to the 905 on Sunday where he played 24 minutes and scored 13 points, or it could simply be that the Raptors were short bodies and turned to him.
Either way, he felt more prepared.
“The 905 team, just going out there, playing with all those guys, that helped out a lot getting back to what I’ve been doing,” he said. “I just felt like I wasn’t getting enough cardio here. I’m learning a lot [with the Raptors], it’s definitely great, but at the same time I just want to play and having the 905 team here in the backyard is a good opportunity to play with those guys, get 20 minutes, get some shots up and win the game.”
At halftime Bennett had a chance to chat with the Mavericks’ Powell, his Canadian national team teammate. The second-round pick provided some counsel to the first Canadian taken No. 1 overall as he struggles to find his spot, and hoping some D-League minutes can help.
“He said it’s all in the process and [the D-League] is going to help out a lot,” said Bennett. “I see what he’s doing now, he’s running the floor, he’s a great player. Everything is falling for him.”
The Raptors would be thrilled if the same could be said of Bennett and some of their other young talent in the months or years to come. Some time in the D-League might be the factor that makes it possible.