Toronto Raptors: Using The D-League The Wright Way
By Joshua Howe
It was announced on Tuesday that the Toronto Raptors have sent their rookie point guard, Delon Wright, down to their D-League team, Raptors 905, to play with them and get some burn. He hasn’t been taken off of the roster, and instead will just be included on the inactive list along with the likes of fellow teammate Bruno Caboclo.
This is something that I, personally, am excited to see. Now that the Raps have their own D-League team, making actual use of it is essential. There is an unfair and rather disturbing stigma surrounding the D-League in the NBA. Often players feel disappointed or that they are suddenly lackluster if they are sent down there to play instead of sticking with their clubs.
My question is: why?
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Wright, for example, has played in just four games with Toronto. He’s played about 10 minutes total, which is barely enough time to do anything but get his feet wet. There is only so much you can learn sitting on the bench of an NBA team.
Yes, there are important things you can learn while on the bench. You still get to practice with the team, you can talk to veterans, you have constant access to your head coach and the like, but ultimately, the only way to improve yourself is to keep working. And that means being able to play.
Young bucks like Wright have nothing to lose and everything to gain from being sent down to the D-League. It’s not a punishment and it shouldn’t be considered one. It’s an opportunity to play, grow, and then come back stronger and better the next time you’re called back to play on your NBA team.
And to be fair, it’s not always just young players who can or who need to be sent down there. Second or third-year players can sometimes be sent there. I don’t think it would have been a bad idea to give Anthony Bennett a spot on Raptors 905 this season.
He hasn’t played much with Toronto yet and probably won’t this year. He needs a space to grow. But because of the stigma (especially for him as a first overall pick) surrounding the D-League, it seems unlikely that a dude like Bennett will suit up for Raptors 905.
It’s really a shame. It’s like when you’re in university and you aren’t great at writing essays, but you won’t go to the writing center for help because you don’t think you can possibly be that bad. Well, it’s not about being that bad, it’s about finding what is wrong with your current work and finding methods to improve upon it. It’s a stepping stone.
That’s the D-League. It isn’t the basketball hell some people make it out to be. Therefore it’s nice to see a guy like Wright get a chance to lace ‘em up and actually play. And heck, if he does buy into the process (like everyone should) he could be a much better player next season than if he had sat on the bench all year for Toronto.
I mean, Raptors 905 are 1-4 right now. They could use a guy like Wright to help pick things up. Contrary to popular belief, people actually watch D-League ball.
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Good on you, Raptors. Continue to make use of the D-League. Set an example. There still needs to be one.