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What Happened to Bruno Caboclo in the NBA and Where Is He Now?
I still remember the buzz surrounding Bruno Caboclo back in 2014 when the Toronto Raptors drafted him 20th overall. The infamous "two years away from being two years away" comment from Fran Fraschilla became the defining narrative of his career before it even properly began. As someone who's followed international prospects for over a decade, I found myself both fascinated and frustrated by Caboclo's journey - he represented that tantalizing blend of physical tools and raw potential that makes scouts lose sleep, yet he never quite put it all together in the way many of us hoped.
During his five seasons bouncing between the NBA and G League, Caboclo showed flashes of why Toronto took that gamble. I recall watching him drop 31 points for Raptors 905 in 2017 and thinking this might be his breakthrough moment. His 7-foot-7 wingspan on a 6-foot-9 frame made him a defensive nightmare when engaged, and his three-point shooting occasionally looked smooth enough to suggest he could become a legitimate stretch four. The numbers tell part of the story - across 105 NBA games with Toronto, Sacramento, Houston, and Memphis, he averaged just 4.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per game. These aren't exactly eye-popping statistics, but they don't capture the full picture either. What the box scores miss are those moments where he'd block a shot that seemed physically impossible, or hit a trio of threes in a quarter that made you believe the potential was finally being realized.
The Memphis stint in 2018-19 was probably his most productive period, where he started 34 games and put up 8.3 points and 4.6 rebounds. I remember thinking this might be his chance to establish himself as a rotation player, but consistency remained elusive. His basketball IQ and feel for the game never seemed to catch up to his physical gifts, and that ultimately limited his effectiveness when the game slowed down in half-court sets. Teams kept taking chances on his potential, but the development curve was simply too steep for someone who started playing organized basketball relatively late.
Now, here's where his story takes an interesting turn that many casual NBA fans might have missed. After his NBA opportunities dried up, Caboclo found his way to the Philippine Basketball Association, where he was set to join the Road Warriors. But in what became another curious chapter in his winding basketball journey, he never actually suited up for them. His rights, along with those of David Murrell, were traded to Converge in exchange for a first-round pick. This kind of asset management fascinates me - even after his NBA career didn't pan out, teams still saw enough value in him to trade draft capital.
Currently, Caboclo has been playing overseas, most recently in Europe. His journey reminds me of so many prospects who enter the league with enormous expectations but take unconventional paths to find their basketball home. What's interesting to me is how his value perception has shifted - from a first-round NBA draft pick to a traded asset in the PBA before ever playing a game, to now finding stability in international leagues. I've always believed that the "bust" label gets thrown around too carelessly with players like Caboclo. Sure, he didn't become the star some projected, but he's carved out a professional career that most aspiring basketball players can only dream of, even if it hasn't followed the traditional NBA trajectory.
Looking at his career holistically, I can't help but wonder if the "two years away" narrative became a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts. The pressure that comes with such a memorable soundbite can't be underestimated for a young player adjusting to a new country and the highest level of basketball. His physical tools were never in question - I'd argue he had some of the most impressive measurables of his draft class - but the game never fully slowed down for him in the NBA. Yet his persistence in continuing his career abroad speaks to a resilience that doesn't always get acknowledged when we discuss players who don't meet initial expectations.
The Caboclo story ultimately reflects the global nature of modern basketball and the multiple pathways to a successful career. While he may not have become the NBA star some envisioned, he's maintained a professional career across multiple continents, which in its own right represents a significant achievement. His journey from Brazilian prospect to NBA draft pick to traded asset in the Philippines to European professional illustrates how basketball careers are rarely linear, and success can be defined in many different ways beyond just NBA stardom.