Raptors' infamous draft pick Bruno Caboclo has been killing it at Olympics

Bruno Caboclo may have never been what the Toronto Raptors wanted him to be, but he seems to be finding some success on the world’s biggest stage.

Putting up 33 points in a round robin game against Japan, the Brazilian forward helped push his home country to a 104-82 victory. His 33 points came on 13-for-19 shooting, while he also added 17 rebounds and a block.

Brazilian KD goes at it 🔥

🇧🇷 Bruno Caboclo with a game of the tournament! 😳#Paris2024 x #Basketball pic.twitter.com/1MOMfU8VE0

— FIBA (@FIBA) August 2, 2024

The win secured Brazil’s place in the quarterfinals. The draw for the matchups will be made tomorrow after the conclusion of the group stage. The quarterfinals take place on Tuesday, and Canada is one of the other seven teams to crack the final eight.

Longtime Raptors fans likely remember Caboclo for being one of the most surprising — and, ultimately, disappointing  — draft picks in franchise history.

Toronto had the 20th overall pick in 2014, so they took Caboclo, who was not heavily scouted by most other teams. This decision shocked just about everyone following the draft process.

“I’m blown away. I’ve been doing this for 10 years, this is—” ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla stated during the draft broadcast. “He’s two years away from being two years away.”

The “two years away from being two years away” comment has hung around Caboclo his whole career, particularly as he was unable to find regular NBA minutes during his time in the league.

Caboclo averaged 1.1 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 25 games for the Raptors in his career. He last played in the NBA in 2021 for the Houston Rockets, having played for five different European and Mexican clubs since leaving the NBA, where he played just 105 games across seven years.

For more information on Caboclo’s journey to the NBA, The Ringer’s Danny Chau did a deep dive earlier this year into the pick and how it came to be.

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