Bryan Colangelo spent this past summer accumulating some players he believed would help the Raptors shed their image of being a non-athletic group of bad defenders.

Players like Reggie Evans, Antoine Wright, and Jarrett Jack were acquired to provide some toughness and defense while players like Sonny Weems, Amir Johnson, and Marco Belinelli were acquired to gain speed and athleticism.

At the start of the season, some might have questioned if any of these moves were going to actually pan out. But things have changed.

One of Colangelo’s key acquisitions, Antoine Wright, landed in Toronto as the defensive specialist from Dallas who unexpectedly started in 53 regular season and five playoff games for a very good Mavericks team. But,

“Dallas used Wright in limited minutes last season, even when he started. The Raptors best case scenario is likely to do the same. Until Wright can demonstrate that he has improved both his shooting stroke and his turnovers, it will be a challenge for coaches to keep him on the floor for extended periods.”

The Case for Antoine Wright

And despite Jay Triano’s glowing reviews about Wright’s ability to learn his defensive schemes in training camp, Wright remained an unproven acquisition.

Wright immediately became a big part of Jay Triano’s rotation, averaging over 20 minutes per game to start the season. But as the season progressed, Wright’s minutes declined.

“Jay Triano relied on Wright far more than his 'success' with Dallas warranted and Wright rewarded Triano by shooting a career low 33.6% from the field. Wright making an offensive play could almost be equated with a turnover.

“However, the Raptors could probably live with Wright’s less than helpful offensive game if he was providing the defense everyone had anticipated. Sadly, he has not.”

Antoine Wright is deep in Jay Triano’s doghouse!

After mid-December, Sonny Weems began to get Wright’s minutes in the rotation and Sonny provided athleticism and excitement that is not part of Wright’s game.

Fortunately for Wright, Jay Triano must have seen what Wright could bring to the team. Or maybe it was just that Weems couldn’t keep up that exceptionally hot shooting he brought to his first few games in the rotation. But, by the end of December, Wright was getting his chance again.

Antoine Wright has played in all 13 Raptors' games in January coming into last night's game against the Knicks, averaging 16 minutes and making solid contributions on the floor.

Wright discovered that shooting less equals more floor time for him, as he has averaged less than four shots per game. And shooting less has helped boost his hit rate to a respectable 44.9 percent from the field. Wright is no longer a liability on offense.

But perhaps the exclamation point on Wright’s January play was the 11 minute, 0-0 shooting, one rebound effort against the LA Lakers. Jay Triano re-inserted Wright into the line-up for 3.9 seconds with 15.3 seconds to go and again with 1.2 seconds left to guard Kobe Bryant. And Kobe misses two three-point attempts to preserve a Raptors victory.

Then in the Raptors' last two games against the Heat and Knicks, Wright took that December doghouse he was in and burned it to the ground. 

In the past two games, Wright has scored 22 points, collected 10 boards, and made 8-of-12 shots, including 4-5 from three-point range.

After a rough December, Antoine Wright has earned his time back in the Raptors' rotation.