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Las Vegas • This week, in the throes of the Las Vegas Summer League, Delon Wright has looked like a guy ready for NBA rotation minutes.
His passing and ability to defend have only improved since he was an All-American at the University of Utah. He's shooting the ball better, with more confidence and with more range. He's clearly spent time in the weight room, adding muscle to a previously thin frame. His basketball IQ and instincts, always top-notch, have been as impactful as ever.
But basketball is about opportunity. And when Wright's opportunity comes with the Toronto Raptors is anyone's guess. At the point guard spot, he was third in line with a team that advanced to the Eastern Conference finals behind all-star Kyle Lowry and superb backup Cory Joseph. The shooting guard spots are occupied by all-star DeMar DeRozan and Terrence Ross.This means, barring injury, Wright projects to be in the same position that he was as a rookie.
Facing an uphill climb for minutes.
"Obviously I would like to play," Wright said. "But I look at guys around the league, and you never know when your time will come. I think if I just wait my turn and wait for my time, then I'll be fine. And when my time comes, I have to take advantage. If my time doesn't come this year, I have to keep getting better and work on my body."
For Wright, being a first-round pick has become a double-edged sword. While his contract is guaranteed for this coming season, things can become a bit murky for him when years three and four of his rookie deal fall into the hands of a team option.
Sometimes, people in Wright's situation can simply be forgotten, casualties of depth. At the same time, there are examples throughout the league of players who have found rotational minutes difficult to come by at the start of their careers, but have eventually flourished.
Allen Crabbe is an example of this. The Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard barely played in his first two years. He began to find minutes in year three and flourished in year four as a sniper off the bench. He showed enough that he found a lucrative contract offer sheet on the restricted free agency market. The Trail Blazers matched the Brooklyn Nets offer, and Crabbe is now a valued member of one of the best backcourts in the NBA.
"I look at that, and it reminds me to keep working and keep pushing," Wright said.
This week has revealed a mature Wright, a player who has figured out a way to manipulate the things he can control. He hass run the Raptors expertly in the Las Vegas Summer League, getting the ball to the right people at the right time, scoring when needed and playing the trademark defense that he's long been known for.
He has led Toronto to a 3-0 week and the top seed in the tournament setting that began on Wednesday. The Raptors play their first game on Thursday and will crown a summer league champion on Sunday.
"It's comforting to have him as my point guard again," said Toronto rookie center Jakob Poeltl, who played with Wright at Utah. "It's like we have a head start playing together, and you can see how much he's improved in a short amount of time. He just makes the game easier on the rest of us. He gets guys the ball in the right spots, and we have a natural chemistry. It's definitely good to be playing with him again."
In many ways, Wright has taken lessons from watching his older brother Dorell grind in the league for over a decade. There were times Dorell Wright found minutes hard to come by. He never pouted. He simply kept honing his craft, kept a positive outlook and waited for his opportunity.
Delon Wright figures his career will see a similar opportunity at some point. So instead of lamenting lost playing time, Wright is biding his time.
When the opportunity comes, he vows to be ready.
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Deon Wright update
• Wright scored a career-high 19 points on April 8, in a 111-98 win over the Indiana Pacers
• He averaged 3.8 points in 8.5 minutes of action in his rookie season
• Wright was selected with the 20th overall pick of the 2015 NBA draft