Raptors host Philadelphia today

TORONTO (CP) — Early in the second quarter of Toronto’s opening-night win over Chicago, Delon Wright pump-faked then drove to the hoop, tossing up an acrobatic basket that landed him on his back side and drew a whistle. Hitting the court with a thud, he flexed his biceps and grinned. It was part of a 15-0 run by the Raptors’ young bench that would prove to be the game-changer.

It was also just one of numerous crafty plays by the 25-year-old, who will play a huge role for the Raptors this season.

There was also his shifty zig-zag to the basket that ended in a sneaky pass to rookie OG Anunoby for a dunk.

“He just has an unorthodox gait about him that helps him,” coach Dwane Casey said of his backup point man. “It kind of keeps you off balance . . . that unorthodox style really helps him with that.

“He’s still growing, he’s still going to be better, physically he’s going to get stronger as he continues to get older. The young man is going to have a bright future in the NBA.”

The Raptors showed their confidence in Wright when they shipped Canadian Cory Joseph to Indiana in the off-season.

Wright was clearly ready for the responsibility. He had 13 points and five assists in 23 minutes on Thursday, and his glimpses of greatness certainly showed there was plenty more to come from the young player.

Wright credited 30-year-old veteran C.J. Miles for his constant encouragement.

“If I make a drive, he says keep being aggressive,” Wright said. “The more aggressive I am, the more shots (Miles) gets, the better the offence flows, things like that. I kind of need that sometimes for people to tell me to stay aggressive, sometimes I look to pass too much.”

Toronto’s season-opening victory came against a thin Bulls squad that had just nine active players at their disposal.

The Raptors face what should be a much more difficult task today when the host the Philadelphia 76ers. The young Sixers pushed the Washington Wizards to the wire in their opener, falling 120-115.

The Raptors will be able to gauge their new offence against two of the best when it comes to ball movement next week.

After today, the team heads west for a six-game road trip that opens in San Antonio. The second game sees them face reigning champion Golden State.

Said Casey: “It’s going to be a different animal next week.”