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Summary: The Toronto Raptors

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rs selected outside of the lottery during an NBA draft tend to have a bit more leeway in terms of their rate of development and what's expected of them during their rookie campaigns.

The teams making those selections usually rank in the upper echelon of the league, not necessarily needing the (presumed) immediate payoff that comes from a top prospect.

The Toronto Raptors won a franchise-record 49 games in 2014-15, but a four-game series sweep in the opening round of the playoffs to the Washington Wizards exposed enough flaws to raise legitimate concerns about its short-term future. General manager Masai Ujiri needed to select someone with more of a proven track record, rather than take another raw talent like he did with Bruno Caboclo in …show more content…

His poor 38.9 shooting percentage can be attested to his incessant need to chuck mid-range jumpers, but when he elected to go iso and drive to the basket, Vasquez and Lowry never stood a chance.

Wright may not be the perfect solution to stopping quicker, more athletic guards in the backcourt, but he'll certainly put up more of a fight, even as a rookie.

Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com wrote prior to draft night how Wright's defensive instincts should translate well on the pro-level:

Wright's best attribute from a NBA standpoint is likely his defense. He has quick feet, excellent instincts and a scrappy nature, putting outstanding pressure on the ball. His instincts for getting in the passing lanes and overall timing for making plays off the ball is extraordinary, helping him average an outstanding 2.6 steals per-40 minutes pace adjusted in his two seasons at Utah, with a ton of blocks and rebounds thrown in for good measure.

Wright's anticipation skills are off the charts, and he does it without gambling in the passing lanes excessively, but rather by simply sniffing out when to help out teammates, and when to make a reflexive play as a sort of free safety. He's big enough to guard either backcourt spot, which gives his team coveted positional flexibility that is very much in demand in today's NBA. …show more content…

He also earned himself a nod on the first-team All-Pac-12 and All-Pac-12 Defensive Team in the process.

Wright won't come close to putting up anything like those averages with the Raptors in 2015-16, but that's alright. All Casey needs him to do is live up to his reputation as an elite defender and be a pest on that end of the floor.

“As the (draft) week went on and we studied more film and more film and more film, it came clear to us as far as what we needed defensively,” Casey said following the draft, per Doug Smith of the Toronto Star.

“Your defence starts on the ball . . . you’ve got to have guys to be able to defend the pick-and-roll and he’s a good start for us.”

His role, at least following the Joseph signing, is set up to where he can play spot minutes, defend and help change the reputation of a team that fell from ninth in the league in defensive rating in 2014 to 23rd last season.
Just don't fret if his numbers during his rookie campaign don't blow you away. Stat sheets only tell one side of the story.

Projected line: 53 games, 9.2 minutes, 4.3 points, 1.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.7

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