Toronto Raptors introduce mysterious draft pick Bruno Caboclo

The Toronto Raptors are wasting no time with Bruno Caboclo, their surprise draft pick described by an ESPN analyst as being “two years away from being two years away.”

Less than 48 hours after Toronto selected Caboclo with the 20^th pick in the NBA Draft, the 18-year-old Brazilian faced the Toronto media for the first time Saturday after a workout at the Air Canada Centre. Then tomorrow, he’ll ship out to Los Angeles for training with DeMar DeRozan, Amir Johnson and Terrence Ross, part of a summer program described as “gruelling” by president and general manager Masai Ujiri.

After all, Ujiri doesn’t plan on stashing the teenager overseas for a few years.

“He’s going to be on our team,” said Ujiri, when asked about the franchise’s plans for Caboclo this season. “He’s going to be on our team for sure.”

That said, the Raptors’ GM is preaching patience with Caboclo, a relative unknown who’s expected to spend time in the D-League. A six-foot-nine forward with raw talent, Caboclo played limited minutes with Esporte Clube Pinheiros in Sao Paolo last season, averaging 4.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. He only started playing basketball at 13. Regardless, Ujiri and his staff were encouraged by what they witnessed on multiple scouting trips to Brazil.

“We picked him because we feel there’s some good upside there,” said Ujiri. “We’ll develop him. It’ll take time. We’re ready to be patient with him.”

The Raptors shifted focus at Thursday’s draft when Toronto-area native Tyler Ennis was selected by the Phoenix Suns two spots earlier. With that option off the table, the Raptors weren’t willing to lose Caboclo, whom they didn’t think would still be available at No. 37, their next pick. So they pulled the trigger on the draft’s most shocking selection, one Ujiri calls “an outright gamble.”

When he was picked, Caboclo wasn’t in the NBA Draft’s green room, nor was he in the Barclays Center rafters. He found out the news on Twitter while riding in the back of a cab after landing in New York City.

“The taxi driver didn’t understand what was going on,” said Eduardo Resende, Caboclo’s adviser and translator. “We were screaming back there.”

Caboclo, a seemingly shy kid who speaks limited English, described the feeling of being drafted.

“I have ice in my stomach. I’m very happy,” he said. “Very, very, very happy.”

When Caboclo was selected, the same ESPN analyst dubbed him "the Brazilian Kevin Durant," a moniker that could later haunt him if he doesn't pan out at the pro level. But when asked whom he models his game after, Caboclo didn’t hesitate.

“Kevin Durant,” he said.

“He thinks Kevin Durant has the same body as him, and he tries to copy off Kevin Durant’s game,” said Resende. “That’s his idol.”

He certainly bears a resemblance on the court. Toronto media were given a glimpse of Caboclo at the tail end of his workout on Saturday. With a wingspan measuring greater than seven-foot-six and a slender frame, Caboclo is all limbs, much like the Oklahoma City Thunder star. He dunks with ease and likes launching deep shots. The potential is clearly there.

But it’s inevitable – and perhaps unfair – that some will draw another comparison: with Rafael Araujo, a fellow Brazilian and the poster boy for bad Raptors picks. Araujo was the eighth selection of the 2004 draft – ahead of such current NBA players as Andre Iguodala, Al Jefferson and Josh Smith – but failed to make any impact on the league, averaging 2.8 points per game over three NBA seasons. His selection came to define the failed tenure of ex-GM Rob Babcock.

What's clear is that Caboclo is not Araujo. He's not a lottery pick, nor is he saddled with the expectations that come with that status. Very few No. 20 picks make a lasting impact on the league. It's a flyer the Raptors were comfortable taking.

And besides, Ujiri doesn't care much for what armchair GMs think of his bold pick.

“Honestly I don't do it for reactions of anybody,” he said. “I don't care. We're in a business where I can't react to anything. I just have to do my job, and you hope the best comes out of it.”