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This is a make it or try again someplace else season for Delon Wright, of the Toronto Raptors. He was drafted 20th overall, in the 2015 NBA draft. He came with high acclaim. In his first college season, at Utah, Wright was one of the top players in the Pac-12 Conference. He was seventh in scoring at 16.9 points per game.
By his senior year, Wright was in consideration for the Naismith College Player of the Year and the John R. Wooden Award. He was selected to both the first-team All-Pac-12 and the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team for two consecutive years. In 2016, he was also the Bob Cousy Award Winner. When the Toronto Raptors called his name, on draft night, in 2015, it was Wright's defensive prowess that was most attractive. He is quick, 6’5 and talented.
However, after being assigned to the G League Franchise, Raptors 905, several times in his rookie season, Wright was a DNP (did not play) quite a bit in his second season. In fact, he only played in 27 NBA games, in each of his first two NBA seasons. He also had multiple assignments to the Raptors 905 in year two. During his third NBA season in 2017/18, Wright managed to get minutes in 69 games. However, Wright has several problems.
He has played just 123 out of 246 potential NBA games in his three years in the league. On a franchise that takes a lot of threes, the Raptors took nearly 33 threes per game last season, Wright often showed a desire to pass on threes and defer to other players.
If opponents don't believe you can shoot, they don't overplay you, thereby, negating one's ability to drive to the basket and draw attention, so as secondary defenders stay with their assignments, now, passing lanes are closed. In the meantime, you have a ball carrier too reluctant to shoot with no option, but to shoot.
Meanwhile, there is a 24-second clock winding down. If it's insecurity about his shot, Wright is actually a 36% shooter from 3-point range, in his NBA career. Perhaps its the lack of practice and game time he has been able to engage in. Nothing beats repetition for decisiveness, muscle memory, just do it.
Then, there is the Raptors roster. It is a roster loaded with talented point guards. It starts with All-Star Kyle Lowry. Then, after Delon Wright was drafted, in 2016 the Raptors signed undrafted point guard Fred VanVleet. As of right now and last year, Wright has taken a back seat to a six-foot warrior who is the engine of the Raptors' second unit.
Further complicating the future of Delon Wright's injury-plagued career is Lorenzo Brown. Another talented point guard, Brown was originally drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves, in the late 2nd round of 2013. He signed a two-way contract with the Raptors in 2017 and became the G League's Most Valuable Player playing for the Raptors 905.
That effort earned Brown a standard NBA contract when the Raptors when they resigned him, on July 20th, 2018. Brown is also 6'5 a somewhat more experienced version of Wright, who has survived bouncing around from the NBA to the G-League to the Russian league.
In other words, if Wright were dropped from the Raptors roster tomorrow, Brown is an accelerated version of Wright. Brown has gone through the ups and downs of being a fringe NBA player and appears ready to contribute now.
Wright due to his struggles may not be ready. Wright clearly is not the Raptors back up point guard nor is he ready to challenge an aging Lowry for the starter job at point guard. Even if you think, well try him at shooting guard, Norman Powell is trying to salvage his career and once again Lorenzo Brown, who can be a competent combo guard, is in the way. Furthermore, shooting guards shoot. As I mentioned before, Delon Wright has shown an aversion to this aspect of his game.
So, that's one incumbent, a backup, and a challenger that Delon Wright now has one year to prove he belongs in the mix at point guard for the Toronto Raptors. He's third on the depth chart at his position, appears injury prone, and the Raptors already have empirical knowledge after Wrights' draft class teammate and Raptors' second-round pick Norman Powell.
Powell has contributed more to the team's overall success, and was given a four-year $10 million a year extension that kicked in, in 2017/18. Powell started last year, for the Raptors, and then failed after two years of glimpses of greatness especially in the 2017 and 2018 playoffs. So one would think the Raptors won't repeat that mistake.
To follow up, the riches of talent the Raptors boast at point guard, is also the money committed to that one position. Lowry makes over 31 million a year. VanVleet, as Lowry's back up, makes 8.2 million a year. That's nearly 40 million dollars.
Considering Norman Powell who was drafted the same year as Wright got an extension of 40 million over four years, as a second-round pick coming off his rookie deal, it's not out of the realm of possibility to think Wright would expect more as a former 1st rounder.
So considering Lorenzo Brown at 1.6 million, for this season, is nearly 1 million less than Wright's salary for this year, its clearly an audition between these two for the emergency third-string point guard going forward. That third point guard might be a 3 year $15 million dollar contract and Brown would be the cheaper option.
The Kawhi Leonard situation may also affect Delon Wright regardless, of whether he plays well or not, going forward. Even if the Raptors are NBA finalists in the 2019 playoffs, but Leonard signs with another franchise, July 1st. 2019, maybe the Raptors then trade Lowry, Ibaka and allow Danny Green to sign elsewhere. This would move VanVleet and Delon Wright up the pecking order on the Raptors point guard depth chart.
However, maybe the Raptors get another starting point guard, in any hypothetical deal, for Lowry, and Wright is still the odd man out. However, should Leonard stay, it's very likely the Raptors keep the roster together and Wright is still the odd man out, as any monster deal to Leonard means the franchise will need to trim the fat elsewhere, as the Raptors are going to be in the luxury tax.
Remember Corey Joseph, a point guard, was traded, by the Raptors, in the summer of 2017 for cap relief. Ultimately, the Raptors can wait, in the summer of 2019, to decide, on Delon Wright, as he would be a restricted free agent and decide to match offers he receives or doesn't receive.
The Raptors didn't extend Wright's rookie deal, by a Monday, October 15th, 2018 deadline. Wright may, in fact, be persona non grata moving forward. He may be a salary cap ballast throw in, in any deal, by the trade deadline, to improve the Raptors roster or he may surprise and assume the backup point guard role and become Kyle Lowry's replacement, as he was expected to do.
Time tells all, but Delon Wright has already missed both of Raptors games this season.
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