LAS VEGAS – Never before had his signature meant so much.
When Dwight Buycks inked his name onto the contract the Toronto Raptors had placed in front of him on Tuesday afternoon, there was a brief exhale before the work began.
“It’s a dream come true,” Buycks said. “I’ve been waiting for this. It definitely was something I dreamed about so to be able to be sitting there and sign the papers to say I play with an NBA team was a blessing. I thank God for making everything possible. It was a dream for me. It’s huge. Huge.”
After a stellar Orlando Summer League playing with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Marquette guard found the Raptors calling, interested in his services as a backup point guard. Immediately, he repacked the suitcase he was living out of in Orlando and boarded a flight to Las Vegas so he could meet with his soon-to-be new team.
While the front office did their research on him, he did some sleuthing of his own to get familiar with his new teammates and coaching staff.
“I’ve been on the Raptors site and everything,” Buycks said. “Just seeing what’s going on there. Looking up coach (Dwane Casey) and seeing everything about him and learn a little bit more before I talk with them. The guys have all given me a warm welcome before I even signed my papers and that definitely felt good.
You’ve got DeMar (DeRozan), Rudy (Gay), all of those guys. They definitely welcomed me here, saying, ‘What’s up’, ‘Glad you’re here’ and that was big for me. I was thankful for that. Now that I’m with them I can build a relationship with them and get after it on the court.”
Not hearing your name called on draft night, spending time in the D-League and a season in France isn’t the preferred path to the NBA, but Buycks will take it. After that season in France, where he was named league MVP, then returning home to head to Oklahoma City to prepare for Orlando Summer League, Buycks is used to stopovers and delays along the way to his destination.
Being brought to Toronto to play the role of Kyle Lowry’s back-up, Buycks would like Raptors fans to know that he is grateful. Grateful for the support and well wishes on Twitter despite being unfamiliar with him. Grateful to show that his game matches up to the NBA level. Grateful for the opportunity.
Darius Johnson-Odom, familiar with the path less-traveled himself, was thrilled for his former Marquette teammate.
“It hasn’t been an easy route for him,” said Johnson-Odom, who is playing for the Denver Nuggets during Summer League. “I’m glad he’s finally getting his foot in the door. I think he’ll be a great asset for the Toronto Raptors. When I first met Dwight, when I first got to school, he was unstoppable. His game just didn’t translate from college. Once he made that transition, played so well in France, then D-League and Summer League, we started to see the glimpses of a solid backup point guard, which is what he’s going to be. We’re all ready to see what he can do.”
What he can do, according to scouts and Raptors team officials, is play defence, put points on the board and get his teammates the ball. As for Buycks off the court, people in Las Vegas have been raving about that, too. All of the people familiar with Buycks and his journey all want to explain how hard he works and how happy they are for him to have this chance to show what he can do.
Buycks said his first calls went to loved ones immediately after signing his contract. While his path has had plenty of twists and turns, his support system has been there for each of them.
“His dream has been a little bit different than a lot of people,” Johnson-Odom said. “He comes from Milwaukee. He has a big family and they really love to see him and support him. He has a huge family. They were in the room when he was drafted for D-League, that’s how much support he has…For him to be successful, go to Marquette, finish school and graduate and now he’s going to be a back-up point guard for the Toronto Raptors, a dream come true.”
While Buycks has been with the team for a few days, his first action on court came Tuesday in a victory against the Sacramento Kings. Playing 31 minutes, he finished with nine points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals. He also had five turnovers, but has the built-in excuse of getting familiar with his new teammates and their system. Remember, this is Summer League, land of turnovers aplenty where assists are crowned jewels.
Buycks’ biggest goal when stepping onto the floor is improving the situation for his teammates.
“I think I make it easier for guys to make shots,” he said. “Putting pressure on the defence, come off the pick and roll, putting pressure on the defence, knocking down shots when they need me to. Trying to touch up everything in my game and translate it to the court.”
The best part of spending last year in France?
“Overseas I definitely had a lot of time to work,” Buycks explained. “we played once a week so I had a lot of time to be in the gym and watching film.”
Eager to get going with his new team, Buycks was impressed with the presence of Toronto’s veterans in Vegas. After his game on Tuesday, DeRozan singled him out in the makeshift locker room, coming over to congratulate him on his first game with the team.
“To see those guys around the team, they don’t have to be around the team,” Buycks said. “They could be enjoying the summer, enjoying their families and everything. That’s just the love of the game and the support of their teammates.”
Johnson-Odom thinks the past season allowed for Buycks to get comfortable with his game and to grow into the role of floor leader.
“He’s more of a poised point guard, he’s patient now,” Johnson-Odom said. “Everybody knows he can score. He’s a great scorer. But when he’s able to get other people in the game like he did in Orlando, with the double-double [in a victory against the Pacers], 13 assists, he’s been able to show he’s a point guard, a proven point guard.”
With the ink now dry on his contract, Buycks is ready to prove Johnson-Odom’s words true.
