Dorell Wright ended his first season in Portland with averages of 5.0 points (on 37-percent shooting), 2.8 rebounds, 1.0 three-pointers, and 0.9 assists in 15 minutes per game across 68 contests. Included in that span was some moonlighting in the starting five during LaMarcus Aldridge's annual bout with injury. In last season's case, both groin and back ailments held Aldridge to the pine for a total of 13 outings. Acting as a stretch four, Wright's production predictably blossomed - 8.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.6 threes, and 1.4 assists in 20 minutes per contest - but he otherwise found playing time difficult to come by behind Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews, and Mo Williams on the wing. Wright, who has one year remaining on his current deal, will instead have to contend with Williams' replacement, Steve Blake, as well as the Blazers' young guns, namely CJ McCollum and Will Barton, for playing time in the backcourt and on the wing.
Wright won't be a starter, and he might not even be the first or second guy off the bench in Portland. But he averaged 1.7 three-pointers per game last season in just 23 minutes per game for the 76ers, so he can be productive even if he's at the back of the rotation. He used to be a great contributor in steals too (he averaged 0.8 per game in 2012-13), back when he was seeing more playing time, but at this point, he's primarily just a long-range specialist. He's an 81 percent free-throw shooter for his career, but he has only averaged more than two attempts per game from the charity stripe once in his career, and it's unlikely that he gets there again this season. Since 4.6 of his 7.6 field-goal attempts per game last season were from beyond the arc, he posted a 40 field-goal percentage - his worst mark since his rookie season in 2004-05. Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum are easily ahead of Wright on the depth chart, and Victor Claver at the three and Mo Williams and C.J. McCollum at the two could also threaten his playing time. He's had two mediocre seasons since his remarkable career year in 2010-11, so any of his former owners who are still fiending for a repeat performance need to put those dreams to rest.
What a difference a year makes. Wright was one of the most improved players in the league in 2010-11, and was one of the premier three-point marksmen in basketball. Then last season, with a new regime and some lineup shuffling, Wright’s numbers took a heavy hit. He didn’t play significantly worse; his minutes just got sliced from 38.4 minutes per game to 27 minutes per game, and his other numbers dropped off accordingly. Wright could figure to start at the three for the 76ers. The only problem is he’s surrounded by more proven wings in Philly than he ever was in Golden State. With Evan Turner, Thaddeus Young, Nick Young and Jason Richardson all in the fold, Wright will have to impress coach Doug Collins to see 30-plus minutes per game in 2012-13. It’s hard to see him approaching the season he had two years ago, but he could definitely do better than his 2011-12 numbers. Wright can still stroke it – he shot 36 percent from downtown, making 1.3 three-pointers per game last season. Late in a draft, Wright is certainly worth a flyer, especially since we’ve already seen him display how good he can be in fantasy when given enough minutes.
Wright signed with Warriors as a free agent last offseason and found himself in a good situation for fantasy purposes. Wright played in all 82 games, while averaging 16.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.4 three-pointers, 1.5 steals, 0.8 blocks and 1.6 turnovers in 38 minutes. While Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry typically dominate the ball, they also create plenty of open looks from long range and absorb most of the team’s turnover risk. Even if new Warriors coach Mark Jackson were to limit Wright’s contributions on the offensive end next season, Wright’s ability to contribute in defensive categories (steals/blocks) will keep him a relevant and useful fantasy contributor. Wright is the kind of player whose lack of dominant scoring, rebound and assist numbers allow him to fly under the radar, masking his significant overall value across the board.
Wright was taken directly out of high school by the Heat with the 19th-overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft – the second-to-last year in which high schoolers were draft-eligible – and is probably one of the better examples of how the practice could affect a player's development. Despite his obvious physical abilities – Wright is 6-7, 200, has been measured at a 40-inch vertical, and offers competent ball-handling and shooting skills – Wright failed to show any hint of real NBA ability until last year. Yes, some of the delay was due to injuries – including a torn ACL during the 2007-08 season – but a lack of playing time has retarded his skills. Wright will vie for minutes at the three with last year's late-season sensation Reggie Williams. With something like 25 minutes per game, he could becomes rosterable, providing average to above-average production in threes and free-throw shooting – along with more blocks than a wing would generally offer.
Wright just hasn't stayed healthy enough to warrant any consistent playing time during his five years with the Heat. After missing all but six games with a knee injury last year, Wright enters the final year of a contract in competition with James Jones and Yakhouba Diawara for minutes at small forward. They keep waiting for the athleticism to lead to a breakthrough, but patience is waning.
Wright is a wild card for the Heat. Like pretty much everyone else playing in South Beach last season, he missed a significant amount of games last season -- 38 to be exact. But when he did play he posted career highs in minutes per game with 25.1, points per game with 7.9, and saw his steals, rebounds and blocks increase from the previous season. The thing we love about Wright is that season to season his stats increase across the board in virtually every statistical category. Watch his stats closely early on this season as his performance on the floor will dictate just how much he plays. At his best, Wright will not score a ton of points for your fantasy team, but could be someone who could fill up a box score at the end of the night.
Wright had a bit of a breakout campaign last season, bringing plenty of energy and athleticism to the Miami frontcourt. He'll compete with Antoine Walker for the starting job at small forward, and if he ends up getting significant minutes, Wright could emerge as a bit of a sleeper given his ability to contribute at both ends of the floor. Wright has been working on his perimeter scoring throughout the offseason in an effort to fully refine his game and prepare for an expanded role.
Wright may share some of the ball-handling duties when Miami rests their point guards, but he's also a playing-time casualty due to the team's strong depth ahead of him.
If game time development is what Wright wants, he’s in the wrong city. But if learning the game from one of the best development staffs in the league and learning how to win is what he wants, he should be on top of the world. Wright has a ways to go before he will get the playing time needed to be a significant player. His time will come, just not likely during this season.
If you know anything about Pat Riley-lead organizations, it is that he does not like relying on rookies (Dwyane Wade aside). That concept explains why it took until the 2004 draft for the Heat to take its first high schooler. Wright fills a definite need for the Heat at the 3, but we don't expect that to take place this year. 2004 will likely be a learning period for the youngster, and we look for his impact to not be felt until 2005 and beyond.
Possibly best unknown talent in America. Extremely athletic, can shoot the ball, handle and even pass. Also a big time rebunder. Can play both the two and the three. Pretty inexperienced. Still needs to work on his body. Scouts fear he's too raw.
