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TSN Raptors Reporter

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TORONTO - Just two weeks ago to the day, Lucas Nogueira - also known as "Bebe" - was the starting centre for Raptors 905, Toronto's D-League affiliate.

Noticeably distraught after a Thursday night contest - one in which he recorded a near triple-double of 13 points, nine rebounds and nine assists - the usually spirited seven-footer lamented more than just the defeat.

He seemed frustrated, lost, unsure of his place with the organization and, apparently, in life.

"It's so hard, man," said 23-year-old, now 14 days later, as he looked back on an emotionally trying couple weeks. "I'm very religious and I'm Christian and, sometimes in your life, you have nothing, you just have faith. Nothing, you don't have nothing, so sometimes, you only have faith in god. And sometimes, for me it's hard to believe in God. I know [he exists], but sometimes your chance doesn't come or something happens in your personal life and you say, 'Where is God?'"

Nogueira, like most young players in professional sports, had been itching for an opportunity to prove himself, to show the organization - the fourth he's been a part of in two years - that he belongs. The sophomore centre knows that he's incredibly fortunate to have even come this far, realizing his dream as a professional basketball player, but perspective isn't always easy for someone who believes wholeheartedly he can give more.

What eluded him at the time is the unpredictable nature in which opportunities tend to present themselves. We rarely see them coming. In the NBA, they're often a product of an underperforming rotation player, a trade or, in this case, an injury.

The following day, with the big-league club in Los Angeles facing the Lakers, Jonas Valanciunas broke a bone in his hand on a freak play, forcing Toronto's starting centre out of action for an extended period of time. Nogueira was promptly recalled.

Coming into the Raptors' midweek, back-to-back set, the young Brazilian had logged 34 career minutes in the NBA. Over the last two days, he's played 32, including every minute in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's comeback victory over Atlanta - the team that traded his rights to Toronto.

While Kyle Lowry was spectacular down the stretch and fellow reserves, Cory Joseph and Patrick Patterson, stepped up, that win does not come to fruition without Nogueira. Toronto, down by as many as 17 points in the second half, outscored the Hawks by 22 points in the 16 minutes Nogueira played. He set hard screens, altered shots at the rim with his 7-foot-6 wingspan, grabbed seven rebounds and made both of his field goal attempts - both alley-oops from Lowry.

Just like that, Nogueira had a new lease on life.

"[Wednesday] night [God] showed me he's here with me, supporting me," he said ahead of Thursday's game. "So I just keep believing in him and keep doing my work but again, it's so hard because you never know. I didn't expect [Valanciunas] to get hurt, nobody expected JV to get hurt and you never know who is going to have foul trouble in the game. So you have to stay ready. Doesn't matter if you play zero minutes, you've got to go in there and do your best."

That, as any player at the back end of an NBA rotation could attest to, is easier said than done. How do you stay ready, remain focused and upbeat when you don't know whether you'll be playing 15 minutes, 10 minutes, five minutes or not at all the next day?

"It's super tough," said Raptors sparingly used forward James Johnson, who has been faced with the same challenge. "Not everybody knows what you go through; you start doubting yourself, you lose a little bit of confidence, you start looking at yourself in the mirror and asking if you made the right decision. A lot plays into it, but you've got to stay strong, stay the course."

"It’s the most difficult thing in the world," Dwane Casey echoed. "That’s what I told all of the guys last night: Delon [Wright], Norman [Powell], [Anthony Bennett], you never know [when you will get your chance]. Knock on wood, it could be a flu bug, it could be an ankle, it could be whatever. Your turn is next and you’ve got to be ready to play. If you go in and don’t produce and don’t do your job in that situation, it may not come back around again."

It's one thing to get your opportunity - plenty are given one or more and fail to take advantage - and it's another entirely to make the most of it. Credit Nogueira. Casey has been raving about his effort and energy in practice leading up to this week's games and, once he got out on the court, he certainly didn't look out of place.

Nogueira often gets lumped into the conversation with friend and teammate Bruno Caboclo. They're both young, long and athletic. They're both in their second NBA season and they're both from Brazil. However, Nogueira - three years Caboclo's senior - has far more experience than his countryman, having played pro basketball in Spain (considered to be the second-best league in the world) since he was 17. It shows. Unlike Caboclo, Nogueira rarely tries to do too much when he's on the floor. 

"He did a good job of that [Wednesday] night: understanding his role," Casey said. "That role [will] continue to grow [if he] continues to do what he did. The minutes will continue to grow. The trust from his teammates will continue to get there. That’s where you kind of carve out your niche or take your position, take someone’s spot in the rotation - by continuing to do that, little by little, doing the little things, staying in your lane, like he did [Wednesday] night."

Now more than ever, Nogueira is trying to stay humble and focused on his goal, which also hasn't been easy, given the attention he's received in the span of 24 hours. On Thursday, he woke up to a text from Hawks All-Star centre Al Horford, a mentor of his when he was with Atlanta. 

"He said, Congrats on the game, I told you that you can play in this league', and [to] keep playing and working hard."

The Raptors acquired Nogueira, along with last season's Sixth Man of the Year winner Lou Williams, from the Hawks during the summer of 2014, giving up the partially-guaranteed contract of John Salmons. At the time, Nogueira didn't understand why Atlanta would trade for him on draft night the year prior, only to give up on him so quickly. Upon arriving in Toronto, he quickly found an ally in Johnson - a player who could sympathize with at least part of his journey.

"Since the first day I got here in the locker room, he didn't know me from anything because he probably didn't follow the Europe game," Nogueira said of Johnson. "But he said, 'I don't know why, but I like you' and he said, 'First of all, nobody is going to touch you. If somebody touches you, you tell me' and 'I'm going to make you the best player you can [be].'"

"I've got his back, man," Johnson said. "You know, it's a rough league, but I think he's finally coming into his own. I told him, you've got to respect the older guys, the vets and stuff, but you can't just get punked by everybody. He likes to apologize a lot and things like that, but in this league, it's grown men, you know, so you've got to grow up someday."

"I like his character," the Raptors forward continued. "He worked hard, I see he works hard. Everyday he comes in, does what he has to do. That's something that I didn't do when I first came in and I know it's harder for a guy like him, who was playing a lot [in Spain], but not playing for two years, maybe two and a half years in the NBA. He kept grinding, kept plugging away and he finally got this chance and I think he finally understands what all the hard work was for."

Nogueira followed up his impressive performance in Atlanta with another solid outing a day later, albeit in a losing effort, as the Raptors failed to mount another comeback after digging themselves an 18-point hole against Denver.

Although his play may be coming as a surprise to some fans who are still getting to know the 23-year-old, Johnson and the rest of his teammates have seen this from him in practice. The seven-footer is uniquely skilled. He sees the floor well for his position, can pass and shoot the ball, while his length is a natural deterrent on defence. He's also proven to have a soft touch around the bucket, something that could give him an edge over the more experienced Bismack Biyombo.

Valanciunas is not expected back this month, so - provided he continues down the path of hard work and patience -  this newfound opportunity isn't going anywhere. How much Nogueira does with it is up to him.