The Toronto Raptors’ journey back to the playoffs after last season’s discouraging first-round exit starts in Las Vegas, as the summer league roster has begun playing games in Sin City. First-round pick Delon Wright, an athletic 6’5” point guard out of Utah, is joined by second-round pick Norman Powell, along with the rest of the roster hopefuls as Toronto looks to find value for their regular season roster.
Toronto made a splash-signing during the free agency period that should have fans excited to buy Raptors tickets this season. The club managed to nab former Atlanta Hawks swingman DeMarre Carroll to a four-year, $60 million deal that gives Toronto a versatile defender in addition to being a three-point threat. Carroll averaged 12.6 points, 1.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game for an Atlanta team that earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Wright earned Second Team All-American honors with Utah last season, averaging 15 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. In the Raptors’ first summer league game, a 90-68 victory over the Sacramento Kings, Wright scored nine points on 3-of-7 shooting with one rebound and nine assists. In their second game, an 81-66 win against the Chicago Bulls, Wright scored 10 points with three rebounds and two assists.
The Raptors’ next scheduled game is on July 13 against the Houston Rockets. Raptors fans looking to get their early basketball fix before the season can use Hipmunk.com to book flights to and from Las Vegas, in addition to reserving Las Vegas hotels starting from $20 to create a basketball destination vacation.
Powell has been a pleasant surprise for the Raptors, leading the team in scoring in both contests. Powell scored 20 points with two steals and two rebounds in the Las Vegas summer league opener, followed by a 19-point performance against the Bulls.
Other roster hopefuls include Dallin and Jordan Bachynski, Bruno Caboclo, Drew Crawford, Phil Greene IV, DeAndre Daniels and others.
With Greivis Vasquez and NBA Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams moving to other teams during free agency, Toronto is looking for guard depth and support behind Kyle Lowry, who the team recently signed to a long-term deal.
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