Getty Images
Word has been out for a while now that the Toronto Raptors are looking to acquire their own NBA D-League affiliate, and the latest quotes suggest that a deal is likely, but not guaranteed. In 2014/15, the Raptors were just one of 13 teams to “share” the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, a reality that will probably seem utterly ridiculous in a few years. With that said, how many stars come out of the D-League? Is it really that important for the Raptors to get their own team?
I’d argue that it is. While it is true that the D-League is mostly filled with second-round draft picks and journeymen that likely don’t have a future in the NBA, the league’s utility does not start and stop with its players. The Houston Rockets have recently used their affiliate, the Rio Grande Vipers, as a sort of testing ground for new ideas on the basketball court. The team plays with a crazy pace and shoots an insane amount of threes, and these trends have then been integrated into the Rockets’ NBA game plan. If your team plays a unique style, sending players to the D-League can also be a good way to have them learn that style in a low-stakes environment.
Secondly, the Raptors have players that need the D-League more than most teams. Bruno Caboclo, the team’s polarizing 2014 first round selection, got little to no playing time on the Mad Ants, and he’s the type of player that needs playing experience more than anyone. He did not play well in his brief stints with Fort Wayne, but what 19-year-old foreign player is going to do well on a team run by Americans that have no vested interest in playing him? Especially when those stints were separated in time, taking away the chance for him to develop a rhythm on the court.
Raptors GM Masai Ujiri has been working hard to bring a D-League team to Toronto, and for that I commend him. He’s always looking for international “diamonds in the rough,” and these are players that most need the sanctuary of a Raptors-exclusive D-League team. Let’s hope a deal can be worked out sooner rather than later.
Casey Sherman is the Toronto Raptors Beat Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @shermham
