10/26/09
by: Scott
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In the weeks leading up to the 2009-10 season, I'm going to profile the 11 Raptors who should receive most of the playing time this season. Today, we turn the RaptorBlog spotlight on Antoine Wright.
2008-09 numbers: 65 games, 23.9 MPG, 7.3 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.4 BPG, 0.7 SPG, .415 FG%, .302 3P%, .747 FT%
Antoine Wright arrived in Toronto with a reputation of being a top-notch defender — Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle went so far as to call him the Mavs' best perimeter defender last season — and this is encouraging mostly because his offensive numbers throughout his four NBA seasons have been dismal. He's a poor shooter who doesn't grab many rebounds, so if he's not playing effective defence, he's not going to get much playing time.
Seeing as how Wright started 53 games with the Mavs last season and averaged almost 24 minutes per game, it would appear that Carlisle isn't just blowing smoke with his endorsement. From what I've seen, he appears to be a solid defender both on and off the ball, although he does have a tendency to be over-agressive. Almost by default, Wright would seem to be the go-to guy when the Raptors are facing an opponent with a high-scoring wing player.
What if DeMar DeRozan is able to put his athletic tools together to excel on the defensive end? That would be bad news for Wright since it's likely that DeMar won't be as much of an offensive liability. Furthermore, the Raptors are going to be in trouble if they have to play Wright and Reggie Evans on the floor at the same time — the team would essentially be playing 3-on-5 in that situation.
This is a critical year for Wright because he's entering the final year on his rookie contract. Now with his third NBA team, Wright has been a disappointment considering that he was picked 15th overall in the 2005 draft — one spot ahead of Joey Graham and two spots ahead of Danny Granger. If he wants another contract, he has to live up to his reputation on defence — and improving his shooting certainly wouldn't hurt.
While he'll almost certainly never develop an above-average, well-rounded offensive game, it might not be a bad strategy to pick one area to work on and make it his "specialty". I recommend that he works a deadly corner three into his currently anemic offensive arsenal. Another renowned defensive stopper, Bruce Bowen, was very underrated for his corner trey weapon. He shot over 40 percent from that range in five of his last seven NBA seasons, even leading the league in three-point percentage one of those years. Since Wright has a career 29 percent success rate from beyond the arc, he'd better put in some heavy practice hours on honing that shot. Extending his career in this league might depend on it. 
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