Two practices in with the Saskatchewan Rattlers and Justin Wright-Foreman is liking what he sees on the court.
“Yesterday I had a conversation and described us as hungry dogs,” said Wright-Foreman. “For me being here for the two days, I can see how hard everybody wants to work.”
Officially signed by the Rattlers on Monday, Wright-Foreman not only has joined the team on the eve of Saskatchewan’s 2023 Canadian Elite Basketball League season but comes to the team with a wealth of experience.
Few players in the CEBL can boast the resume that the Queens, New York product has with Wright-Foreman coming to Saskatchewan after time spent in the NBA.
Drafted 53rd overall by the Utah Jazz in 2019, Wright-Foreman played in four regular season games in the 2019-20 NBA season with the Jazz averaging 4.8 points per game.
That stint included time spent in the NBA’s famous COVID-19 bubble played at Walt Disney World with the Jazz.
“The level of basketball that was being played inside the bubble, that was very interesting for me to see,” said Wright-Foreman. “There’s no fans, so it was kind of hard to get active in a game. But it shows who really applied themselves.”
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Following his time in the NBA, the 25-year-old has suited up for several teams in the NBA Summer League, NBA G League and overseas.
His focus now turns to the Rattlers backcourt and turning that experience into wins, as Saskatchewan tips off their season at home Wednesday night against Vancouver.
“My experience just comes from obviously playing,” said Wright-Foreman. “But I’ve been through certain things in my life and on the court where I can help certain guys. I feel like I can be a leader in that aspect and they can help me as well.”
It’s still early in his Rattlers tenure, but Wright-Foreman is already drawing comparisons to another NBA-drafted player in Tony Carr.
Carr led Saskatchewan in scoring last season and finished as runner-up for CEBL Most Valuable Player, but elected not to return to the Rattlers in 2023.
“We had Tony Carr last year who was a great player for us,” said Rattlers second-year guard Mike Nuga. “Having Justin here, he’s a great guy off the court, easy to talk to, easy to get along with and he’s talented on the court as well. So having him on here is just going to help everybody else produce.”
Rattlers head coach Dean Demopoulos said it’s still too early to tell the impact that their latest addition will have on the court, but echoes Nuga’s thoughts as a former NBA coach himself.
“He’s familiar to me just like Tony was for an awful lot of reasons,” said Demopoulos. “They’re too long and varied to talk to you about. But there’s a familiarity, he’s seen it before, I’ve seen it before and hopefully it pays off.”
Wright-Forman’s move to Saskatchewan also reunites him with former NBA G League teammate Malik Benlevi, who played together with the Salt Lake City Stars.
It’s yet to be seen if he can replicate some of the offence lost from departing Rattlers like Carr and Scottie Lindsey, but according to Wright-Forman he has some big plans for his time on the Prairies.
“If we do the little things we will be the most electrifying team, we’ll be the most exciting team, we’ll be the calmest team,” said Wright-Foreman. “But we also want to be a team that is known as always playing hard and having fun.”
Wright-Foreman will make his CEBL debut alongside the rest of the Rattlers as they open their 2023 season on Wednesday night at 7:00 pm versus the Bandits at SaskTel Centre.
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