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This past summer the Toronto Raptors sent their 24-year-old shooting guard Marco Belinelli to New Orleans in exchange for the 23-year-old forward Julian Wright.  The long-distance shooter Belinelli had become redundant in Toronto due to the emergence of the high-flying Sonny Weems, while the athletic Wright was unable to make significant inroads into the Hornets’ rotation during his three seasons in the Big Easy.

Wright spent two seasons in Kansas before being selected with the thirteenth pick of the 2007 draft by New Orleans.  Considered a surefire lottery selection, Wright had the size, frame, long arms, athleticism, and basketball I.Q. that scouts look for in a draft pick.  At 6′ 8" however, it seems many people saw Wright as a forward, even as a power forward and Wright is definitely at a size disadvantage at that position.

Wright arrived in Toronto to a crowded field of wings and forwards where it was not obvious how he would get many minutes.  The Raptors had Leandro Barbosa at shooting guard, Sonny Weems, DeMar DeRozan, and Linas Kleiza on the wing, and Jarrett Jack needing extra guard time at the two-spot.  Forwards ahead of Wright included Reggie Evans, Amir Johnson, and Ed Davis.  It looked like Wright would be lucky to see garbage-time minutes.

To start the season, Wright was getting into fewer than half the games played, but when he played, Wright was producing as he averaged 2.4 boards, 0.7 steals, 0.7 blocks, and 5.0 points in 15.4 minutes over his first seven games.  Wright stayed ready despite his limited opportunities.

"Everyone is working hard in practice," said Wright.  "That’s all you can do to compete for minutes and that’s a situation that I like and am used to.

"As a player, all I can do is work hard and let the chips fall where they may."

On most teams opportunities for players who work hard in practice eventually happen.

"If guys get hurt it provides an opportunity for other guys," said Head Coach Jay Triano.  "That’s why we keep on these guys to keep working hard when you are not playing because the opportunity will come at some point and you will want to take advantage of it."

In Toronto this season, opportunities due to injuries have been a regular occurrence as Ed Davis, Reggie Evans, Jose Calderon, Sonny Weems, Peja Stojakovic, Leandro Barbosa, and Andrea Bargnani have all missed significant stretches of games this season.

"With Jose out, it was allowing Julian more time to play because Leandro has to play more at the point guard spot," said Triano earlier in December.  "When he does that it opens up another spot at the wing and if anyone gets into foul trouble, he has had to play a little bit at the four as well.  It just makes him the next guy.

"Julian works hard and he makes good plays. The thing I like even at the offensive end is he has been responsible for swinging the basketball and getting it to the second side.  He does that real well.  He has a good knowledge of the game and he is probably our third-string point guard right now with Jose being out."

More than his offensive game, Wright has been earning that "next guy" spot in the rotation by doing the defensive work that some people believed should have gained him regular minutes at the start of the season.  In Toronto however, having a defensive specialist in the rotation has not been something the Raptors have typically used.

"No, it is rare for us to have a guy like that," said Triano with a sheepish grin.  "A lot of teams have guys who are defensive specialists or hustle guys and you hide them offensively sometimes."

Wright knows that it is his defense and hustle that will keep him in the rotation.

"Good things happen when he is on the floor," said Triano.  "He gives you a solid effort.  That kind of stuff is contagious too.  You get one guy working out there like that and it makes everyone else take their game to another level."

Those comments Wright wants to hear.

"(Defense) That’s always been my case," said Wright.  "We haven’t had a problem scoring the ball this year for the most part.  We have a problem going through stretches and not getting stops and making it tough for them to score.  That is something that I have seen from the bench and when I get an opportunity I want to show that (I can do it).

"Everyone is trying to find out their role and things are being established every game.  We are under the microscope from the coaching staff.  We have guys who can score, two or three times in a row, but who can go out there and get stops two or three times in a row?  So that’s something that I can try to hold onto to get minutes."

Wright’s influence on the defensive end of the floor has been particularly noticeable in several of the Raptors’ victories this season.  In the unbelievable 120-116 comeback victory in Detroit on December 11th, Wright had four steals and block to help the Raptors overcome a 25-point deficit.  On December 31st in Dallas, Wright played 26 minutes and contributed four rebounds and three assists in a surprising 84-76 win. And on January 5th in Cleveland, Wright came off the bench to play 31 minutes and provide nine boards, five assists, a steal, and 15 points as the Raptors came back from 15 points down.

{AUTHOR_BOX}"Julian Wright was outstanding," said Triano after the game in Cleveland.  "He was high energy and hustles, doesn’t quit on plays, plays the ball, rebounds.  He gave us a very big lift, so much so that we didn’t go back to some of the starters because of it."

The unassuming Wright’s play has not gone unnoticed by his teammates either.  After the game in Cleveland, Wright was receiving some well deserved praise.

"Julian was doing all the little things for us," said Jose Calderon.

"I like to play with Julian," said Leandro Barbosa. "He is very smart."

By smart, Barbosa really means that Wright has been in the league long enough to have learned something and tries to help his teammates by communicating it.

"(I) just try to talk more defensively," said Wright.  "That’s the next step for us.  When we talk, we hold ourselves accountable."

The Raptors current injury situation is not going to last much longer and whether Wright’s spot on the depth chart has actually changed will depend on how the Raptors’ coaching staff views his contributions when compared to the teams other wing players.

"He will have to earn his minutes," said Triano.  "They will all be fighting for it. We are going to have to play the guys who are helping us win."

Fortunately Wright has his expectations in a good place and will continue doing what his coaches expect of him.

"I just try to play the way that I am able to play," said Wright.  "Play to my strengths, use my athleticism, try to be a spark and we need that from everyone and I just try to do my part.

"You can’t get too high or too low in this league, you just have to be ready to play."

Except for the opportunities provided by injuries to his teammates, Wright has not been able to get significant minutes in Toronto this season, and still faces the same depth issues for playing time that the Raptors rotation had at the start of the year.  However, Wright has provided a defensive aspect to the Raptors game that was not evident often enough when he didn’t play.  As a result of injuries, Triano has found a defensive specialist who has made a significant impact in a number of games, and how he can exclude Wright from the rotation in the future is not very clear.