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Las Vegas • The word kept coming up.
Comfortable.
Never mind all the changes, so early in his transition to a new life, a new team, a new level of competition, the Toronto Raptors rookie point guard Delon Wright is feeling comfortable. And, as he made his professional summer league debut this week, the former Runnin' Ute was thanking his old college coach for making sure he was ready for his new job.
"Definitely he prepared us for this type of offense," Wright said of Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak, a veteran of the NBA as both a player and a coach. "We ran a lot of NBA sets, so I feel like it was an easy transition for me to come in and run this type of offense."
After helping lead a basketball renaissance at the U., pushing the team to a Sweet 16 appearance in this year's NCAA tournament, Wright was picked by Toronto with the 20th overall selection in last month's draft. So far, he has impressed his new bosses this week in Vegas by doing the things that made him an All-Pac-12 player at Utah.
In his first game as a pro, Wright pressured hard on defense and settled in quickly on the other side of the court, dishing out nine assists without committing a turnover.
"To be able to do that and be able to deliver on the other end of the floor, that's really hard to do," Raptors assistant Jesse Mermuys said. "That's tiring in an NBA game. He did a really nice job of running the team, getting guys involved and throwing ahead. Just, overall, a really solid game."
The point guard followed up his debut performance with a 10-point, three-rebound, two-assistant outing in a win over the Chicago Bulls' summer squad two days later.
"It's fun," a smiling Wright said. "Everybody's trying to make their dream come true, so everybody's playing real hard. … It's been a fun process."
Helping Wright settle into his new role is ex-Ute Dallin Bachinsky, who is also playing for Toronto this summer.
"Just to have him talking — he's a real vocal guy," Wright said. "I'm used to hearing him talk and he's helping us out."
So far, Wright has been able to show off well-known strengths. At 23 years old, he was one of the oldest players taken in the draft, and his experience as a four-year collegian gives him a head start on some of the other players on the court. So does, Wright's 6-foot-5 frame and 6-foot-7 wingspan.
"He has great size and he's got great length," Mermuys said. "He can see over the defense and get the ball places where smaller guys can't."
But his weaknesses are also evident. Wright, a 30 percent 3-point shooter at Utah, has hit just 6 of his 16 field goal attempts through two summer league games — an area he'll have to focus on to thrive at the next level.
In Toronto, Wright should have a chance to develop his game without the pressure of having to be a major contributor right away.
The Raptors have All-Star Kyle Lowry starting at the position and, after drafting Wright, signed point guard Cory Joseph to a $30-million deal.
And the Raptors' staff believes Wright will eventually get comfortable with his shot, too.
"He's got a long way to go," Mermuys said. "I don't think it's anything major, some minor tweaks. But the way that he plays … because he's a really, really good passer, he's going to have to knock down open shots. And that will come. We're not too worried about that. That will come. He's such a hard worker and a great kid and guys always improve when they get to the NBA."
Twitter: @tribjazz —
Wright of passage
Former University of Utah point guard Delon Wright's stats with the Toronto Raptors this summer
Points • 9.5
FG percentage • 37.5
Assists • 5.5
Rebounds • 2
Steals • 1.5