Jay Satur - Raptors.com
Shortly after the Raptors cut down the Clippers on the road on Saturday afternoon, many fans shifted their gaze to Iowa, where rookie forward Bruno Caboclo made his NBA Developmental League debut for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
Caboclo, the 20th overall pick in this year's draft, was assigned to the Raptors' NBA D-League affiliate on Christmas Day. After Caboclo spent two months getting acclimated to the pro game (not to mention the English language) and the Eastern Conference-leading Raptors offering little playing time or even practice time on their current West Coast trip, a stint with Fort Wayne was inevitable.
Unsurprisingly, the raw 19-year-old Brazilian offered a mixed bag in 20 minutes of Fort Wayne's 111-106 defeat to the Energy. Caboclo scored 13 points but needed 14 shots to do so (he connected on five of them). He added seven rebounds and a pair of blocks but also turned the ball over four times, including a tough one late on an inbounds play. Just the first of many learning experiences for Caboclo as some actual minutes in competitive games will help him harness that intriguing skill set and work on the more underdeveloped aspects of his game.
Watch highlights from Caboclo's debut with the Mad Ants below, or you can watch the full Mad Ants - Energy game. Caboclo will also be right back at it on Sunday as Fort Wayne hosts the Austin Spurs at 5 PM ET in a game you can once again watch live on YouTube.