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Bruno Caboclo could play regular minutes for the Toronto Raptors

ByKevin Nimmock|

After being selected with the 20th overall draft pick in 2014, it was immediately clear Bruno Caboclo would be a long-term project. He was used sparingly throughout the 2014/15 season, appearing in just eight games for an average of 2.9 minutes per game. By every indication, Caboclo did all of his developing off the court during practices, scrimmages with teammates and time in the weight room.

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During this year’s Las Vegas Summer League, Caboclo showed he has grown exponentially in only a single season. He looked far more confident and technically sound, finding shots and playing hard defence. Still, his game is very raw, at least by NBA standards. All things considered, for better or worse, there is a good chance Caboclo will become a regular rotation player for the Toronto Raptors this season.

Obviously, this is going to take some assumptions on my part, but GM Masai Ujiri has assembled a roster that could feature Caboclo as a tertiary option at small forward, playing modesy but regular minutes. The depth chart is complicated, but it begins with DeMarre Carroll as the team’s starter. Then, my guess is Terrence Ross will split minutes fairly equally between shooting guard and small forward, and James Johnson will do the same between small forward and power forward.

The reason Caboclo has a chance to gain decent minutes, even while being by far the least established commodity on the list, is that Ross and Johnson both have a tendency to lose minutes progressively throughout a season. Last year, Ross lost his role in the starting lineup when he failed to establish any sort of offensive consistency or defensive intensity, and Johnson lost regular minutes altogether when he began to quarrel with his head coach (again).

If Caboclo can impress in practice, which it sounds like he was already doing last year, he could could swipe up minutes by virtue of team need. It is not as if he will be expected to lead when he is on the court, but he will be expected to hold his own. Really, Caboclo playing this early in his career could have two effects.

First, Caboclo could collapse under the pressure and fail to progress past where he is now. He could develop new bad habits against better NBA defenders and scorers. Plus, he could miss his chance to grow at a slower pace while playing for the team’s D-League affiliate.

Or, Caboclo could flourish as a regular player, getting the chance to learn by playing against the best basketball players in the world. He could find his true identity as a player through experimenting and taking risks. Ultimately, the team could end up with a far better Caboclo than what we saw this summer.

I think it will probably be a mix of the two, if Caboclo does get to play regularly. Don’t expect him to claim a spot right away, but as the season progresses, keep your eyes open for creeping opportunities.

Next: Reasonable expectations for the 2015-16 Raptors

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