Toronto Raptors guard Delon Wright will be sidelined a minimum of four months after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to fix a labral tear in his right shoulder, the team announced Monday afternoon.
He sustained the injury on July 16 during a Las Vegas Summer League game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The estimated timeline of his return would see Wright be back with the club at the beginning of December, meaning he will be out of the lineup for at least the first month of the season.
This is a tough blow for the 24-year-old who already was struggling to see floor time. Last season, his rookie year, he spent the bulk of it with Toronto’s D-League affiliate, Raptors 905, and was only able to get in 24 games with the big club where he averaged a measly 3.8 points per game in just 8.5 minutes per contest.
With the 905 he averaged 17.7 points, five rebounds and 6.5 assists per game in 35.7 minutes over 15 games played.
Wright was the Raptors’ first-round selection in the 2015 draft, 20th-overall, but was relegated to the D-League mainly because he was buried on the Raptors’ point guard depth chart behind all-star Kyle Lowry and his quality backup Cory Joseph.
In contrast, Norman Powell, the Raptors’ 2015 second-rounder, ended up flourishing last season in part because of the greater level of opportunity he was given with the injuries DeMarre Carroll suffered.
This coming season doesn’t look like it’ll be much different for Wright as Lowry and Joseph’s spots are as secure as ever and Powell effectively proved himself to head coach Dwane Casey making him a good bet to be part of Toronto’s regular rotation.
A strong training camp for Wright could’ve helped his case to see more floor time in the NBA, but as of now this injury will severely hinder his chances to consistently be up with the Raptors.
