The Toronto Raptors have a unique problem on their hands, as their goals for this season are complex and diverse. Not only do they have every intent to be competitive and are aiming at rising through the ranks of the Eastern Conference, they also have the strange challenge of developing two very raw, but high ceilinged, rookies.
It’s not a problem that many teams face. The dichotomy of competing and developing rarely goes hand in hand. You are either fighting in the standings, or giving young players an opportunity.
But the Raptors are going to have to find a way to do both due to the presence of the Brazilian rookies, Bruno Caboclo and Lucas Nogueira, after acquiring both this past offseason.
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Toronto shocked everyone in the NBA when they selected the little-known Caboclo with the 20th selection of the 2014 draft. But what may have been just as surprising was when Masai Ujiri managed to trade the partially guaranteed contract of
John Salmonsin exchange for
Louis Williamsand Nogueira (the 16th pick of the 2013 draft) from the Atlanta Hawks.
With the current depth that Toronto is fortunate to have, it is unlikely that either Caboclo or Nogueira will see many NBA minutes in 2014-15. Nogueira would appear to have the advantage here due to his previous experience as a professional in Spain where he won the defensive player of the year last season.
And despite showing in summer league and preseason to be further along than many expected, Caboclo is not yet ready to see the court outside of minutes during garbage time.
How can the Raptors prioritize the on court product (wins), while still developing young players who likely won’t see the court?
The problem is that the Raptors are not properly set up for this type of divided attention. Ideally, both Bebe (Nogueira) and Bruno would see plenty of time in the D-League, allowing them to both get starter minutes in practices and in games.
The issue is that Toronto does not have their own D-League affiliate, and are currently sharing the Fort Wayne Mad Ants with 12 other franchises. This means that Toronto does not get to dictate expectations when it comes to minutes, style, schemes, or lineups. Bebe and Bruno will be at the will of a team that does not share the same priorities as the Raptors.
Masai Ujiri said it’s been tough to get a D-League team worked out based on location. Said "We'll have to grind it out the next year or two"
— Ryan Wolstat (@WolstatSun) October 25, 2014
The likely outcome is for Bebe and Bruno to travel back-and-forth between the D-League throughout the season, returning to Toronto whenever the Raptors travel schedule allows for workouts and potential minutes available.
But despite these very different goals within the franchise, Toronto should be the envy of many teams within the NBA. They feature a competitive starting line-up with an average age of just 25, while also having two high potential rookies waiting in the wings to hopefully make big impacts as professionals in the next few years.
If either Bebe and Bruno can reach their ceiling, the Raptors future gets even brighter, but one can’t help but think that development would go a lot smoother/quicker if the Raptors had already established their own D-League affiliate.