Reality in sports is an evolving concept that changes from day to day.
In today’s reality the Toronto Raptors roster is depleted, with a sudden and glaring—desperate, even—need at small forward.
DeMarre Carroll, of course, has missed the last two games with a foot injury that’s apparently been lingering for more than ten days. And while he’s listed at game-to-game, it’s the type of ailment that tends to linger and can be unpredictable in terms of pinpointing a recovery date. Meanwhile Terrence Ross, as it was reported during the second half of Tuesday’s game versus the New York Knicks, suffered a ligament injury to his thumb and has no timetable to return to basketball activities (Ross told reporters on Tuesday that it would be “at least” two weeks).
Those are tough losses in any situation. Carroll has swiftly taken the ‘heart & soul’ crown from Amir Johnson and made significant impacts on both ends of the floor. Ross has struggled mightily (save for a strong outing in Boston in the first week of the season) but remains one of the Toronto’s best shooters/scorers off the bench.
But factor in this team’s depth chart and the situation grows bleaker than the Brooklyn Nets season. Ok, you’re right, nothing is bleaker than Brooklyn right now. But you get the point.
Looking at the roster, there aren’t many options at Dwane Casey’s disposal. The last two games he replaced Carroll with James Johnson in the starting lineup. He played 30 minutes against the Knicks and did an admirable job guarding Carmelo Anthony. Expect Johnson’s current role to fall in line with what we saw Tuesday.
That’s because after Johnson, Casey’s next-best solution to fill the void on the wing just might be Anthony Bennett, who, at this point, has shown nothing to suggest he’s deserving of minutes. Cory Joseph has settled into a nice role coming off the bench, and you’ll certainly see more of the dual point-guard backcourt, with DeRozan sliding over to small forward. And there’s also rookie Norman Powell, who played three minutes against New York, but provides another backcourt player when DeRozan moves to SF, or Johnson is on the floor.
Though it hasn’t come to fruition in a limited sample size, on paper those combinations may help the team stay afloat defensively. But none address the offensive losses created by Carroll and, to a lesser degree, Ross’ absence.
But there is one more option, and there’s already a trendy social media movement waiting to fight for the cause: #FreeBruno
Until this point of the season, Bruno Caboclo, a 6’10’’ small forward and the Raptors’ first round pick in 2014, has been biding his time until the start of the Raptors905 D-League season in a couple weeks, where he’ll get the opportunity to play meaningful minutes—at this point the most important step in his growth.
As I covered extensively, the Raptors organization has a firm plan for developing their long-term project. Hell, they have since before even drafting him with the 20th overall pick last year. The plan was to spend his rookie year getting acclimated to his new environment, to the day-to-day responsibilities of an NBA pro, and to basics like the English language. He’d practice against league veterans, and maybe take a trip or two down the D-League, though without control of an affiliation that was never the most attractive option. Through it all he’d embark on his second season stronger, more confident, and ready for the responsibility of logging legitimate minutes in the NBA’s minor league.
Which is how it’s worked out thus far. Caboclo was impressive during the summer, particularly in the month or so following the Summer League and before Raptors training camp would begin. His body began filling out, he could hold fluent conversations in English, and impressed scouts during five on five scrimmages in Los Angeles in August, holding his own alongside stars like Paul Pierce, Chris Paul, and Blake Griffin.
In his sophomore season—this one—he wouldn’t have to spend so much time sitting idly on the bench wondering when, if at all, he’ll hit the floor. There would be a D-League team in place, giving him an opportunity to play as much 5-on-5 basketball as possible, something that was extremely hard to come by—in practice or otherwise—as a rookie.
That was the plan. And, so far, everything has gone accordingly, as Caboclo is developing right in line with what Masai Ujiri and the Raptors projected for the 20 year-old.
But plans change as circumstance dictates. And right now that means the door, thought to be firmly locked as recently as earlier this week, has opened for Caboclo to earn minutes on the Big Club.
The truth is, he’s not ready yet. But in a pinch? When you’re handcuffed by a roster being torn apart at one of its thinnest positions?
It’s worth a shot—and preferably one from deep.
Without Carroll or Ross in the lineup, the Raptors have shot just 20% from beyond the arc. Suffice it to say, that’ll need to improve for the Raptors to succeed.
And Caboclo is, frankly, the only shooter still left at the wing. Earlier in the pre-season Casey said he was probably the team’s best corner shooter from deep. While statistically the numbers don’t support Casey’s sentiment—Caboclo isn’t shy to let it launch, but hasn’t hit threes with consistency while getting burn in the pre-season—right now a shooter is in higher demand than it will likely be at any other point this season.
Is it realistic for Casey to play what is currently his biggest wild card? Probably not; Caboclo is still a long way from earning his coaches trust. Will Caboclo seeing the floor for eight or ten minutes in a game do anything for his long-term progress? Probably not; there’s a reason the team placed such importance on the D-League.
On the other hand this is the first time in a Raptors uniform that one could argue for Caboclo to play for any reason beyond appeasing the fans. And besides, desperate times…
