Dial 905: Fred VanVleet shines in D-League Debut, and more

The Raptors 905 season kicked off last Friday when they Greensboro Swarm came to the Hershey Centre for the 905’s home opener. The 905 won the game in convincing fashion, 100-87.

Let’s take a look at some of the storylines and key players coming out of the game as the 905 season gets underway.

Fred’s Too Good

Given Fred VanVleet’s status as an established collegiate player, and a member of the big league Raptors squad, it’s not too surprising to see him dominate in the D-League. That guys like Norman Powell and Kyle Lowry have been in his ear also doesn’t hurt.

In his first game for the 905, VanVleet put up a line of 20 points (on 7-of-13 shooting), with seven assists, six rebounds and a steal in 33 minutes. It remains to be seen what VanVleet’s role with the 905 (and the Raptors) will be when Delon Wright returns from injury, but as it stands one think is for certain: Fred is too good.

Bruno’s Injury

Bruno Caboclo was limited in minutes in this game as coach Jerry Stackhouse revealed before the game Bruno had hurt his foot in practice. Caboclo ended up playing 17 minutes, however he only played five minutes in the first half. The foot injury supposedly isn't serious which is good news for the 905 and Caboclo. In this game Bruno registered just six points and three rebounds.

Caboclo was also coming off the bench this game, but will likely return to the starting lineup once he’s 100 percent healthy.

Welcome to the Brady Heslip Show

Brady Heslip returned to the D-League this season after a year overseas and it was impressive. Heslip was in camp with the Raptors and was one of the team’s last cuts to make. He joins the 905 after the team acquired his rights from the Reno Bighorns.

Heslip started the game and played 21 minutes in which he shot 50 percent from three and was perfect from the free throw line. Heslip put up a team-high 20 points, which tied him with VanVleet, though Heslip played 12 fewer minutes. Heslip also put up three rebounds and three assists on the night.

Affiliate Players

Yanick Moreira and Jarrod Uthoff are the only affiliate players the 905 have, and both started this game. Moreira and Uthoff were both in camp with the Raptors but both were cut and agreed to come play in the D-League.

Moreira and Uthoff didn’t really put up points for the 905, but they helped out in other ways on the court. Moreira had four points, four rebounds and one assist in 20 minutes. He also picked up four personal fouls, but looked good defensively. Uthoff, on the other hand, only put up two points, while grabbing five rebounds and chipping in one assist in 20 minutes of play. He also had foul personal fouls.

Both Moreira and Uthoff will look to have a bounce back game when the 905 host the Long Island Nets.

News and Notes

• Last week the 905 claimed big man Walter “Edy” Tavares but he has not yet joined the team. It is unknown when Tavares will be with the team as he is sorting out Visa issues at the moment.
• Local tryout Negus Webster-Chan looked very good in his first D-League game as he put up seven points on 3-of-4 shooting.
• The 905 depth is crazy good as they went 12 deep on the night and everyone chipped in with some points for the season opener.
• The two inactives for the 905 were a surprise to many as both Goodluck Okonoboh and John Jordan both figured to be fighting for starting spots and/or productive bench roles. It is unknown if that is who the 905 will roll with as the inactives or if it was a one game thing.