Why you can’t forget about Gradey Dick

Key Highlights:

• After a sluggish begin to his rookie yr, Gradey Dick has actually picked up the tempo in his final 21 video games – averaging 9.2 PPG on 62.3% true taking pictures
• Dick is greater than only a shooter – he’s good at making fast choices and attacking closeouts
• Dick has the possibility to grow to be the form of function participant that you just discover on groups contending for championships

As we’ve already mentioned in-depth with younger studs like Chet Holmgren and Brandin Podziemski, this class of rookies is affected by proficient prospects who will probably be impacting this recreation for years to return. However we shouldn’t let the massive names make us neglect about under-the-radar guys who might not be on monitor to All-Stardom however nonetheless might be integral elements of robust groups.

A kind of names is Gradey Dick, the participant chosen by the Toronto Raptors with the thirteenth total decide within the 2023 NBA Draft. However what’s it that makes him so promising? What’s it that retains him from being a star? And who’re some present gamers who he may hope to emulate?

The Good

Dick’s NBA profession acquired off to a little bit of a bumpy begin. Via his 21 video games, the Kansas Jayhawks product averaged 3.4 PPG on 45.2% true taking pictures. Nevertheless, after a trip to the Raptors’ G-League affiliate (the Raptors 905), Dick rediscovered his basketball mojo and returned to the NBA searching for redemption.

Since then, in his final 21 video games, Dick has averaged 9.6 PPG on 62.3% true taking pictures. An enormous purpose for his turnaround has been the reemergence of his trusty jumper. In his first 21 video games, Dick shot a mere 27.1% from past the arc. In his final 21 video games, Dick has transformed on 42.9% of his triples.

This isn’t the results of some flukey small pattern dimension nonsense. The rationale Dick was so highly-coveted popping out of school was his capacity to stroke from approach downtown (40.3% 3-point shooter in faculty). Dick combines his excessive launch angle (he’s 6’8), nice contact (92.0% free throw shooter), and speedy taking pictures launch (see this clip) to be top-of-the-line marksmen within the sport.

These days, the sport has grown too subtle for a participant to simply be a taking pictures specialist. Defenses counter these shoot-first gamers by working them off the 3-point line and forcing the person to beat them off the dribble (aka the fly-by closeout).

What made Dick such an intriguing prospect in faculty was his capacity to not solely shoot but additionally to counter aggressive closeouts with drives to the rim. Early within the season, Dick did not translate his collegiate success to the NBA degree (25.5% drives true taking pictures in his first 21 video games, per NBA.com).

However that energy has appeared to return alongside along with his jumper. In Dick’s final 21 video games, his drives true taking pictures is as much as 52.4%. That’s nonetheless beneath the league common in that play sort. However with rookies, it’s not concerning the effectivity. It’s concerning the flashes. And Dick’s flashes have absolutely been fascinating.

Dick cannot solely full these closeout assaults with a dribble drive end. He also can keep energy performs by surveying the courtroom and hitting the open man (like this).

His consolation in these closeout attacking conditions speaks to a a lot bigger theme of his recreation. Dick might not be the perfect on-ball creator (extra on this in a second), however he is aware of the best way to play with pace and browse the sport shortly. While you mix this along with his dimension and out of doors taking pictures, he turns into the right function participant to pair with gifted ball handlers/passers like Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley.

The Unhealthy

Offensively, Dick has the right loadout for being an incredible complimentary piece. Sadly, protection is a distinct story.

As we established, Dick is tall, understands defensive rotations, and he performs with an distinctive motor. Concerning that final level, I’ve once called him the basketball equal of Crash Bandicoot. However his freneticism remains to be somewhat uncontrolled. He’s within the thirtieth percentile in foul price amongst wing gamers (per Cleansing the Glass).

Normally, committing a variety of fouls isn’t a deal-breaker. You may dwell with that if the participant is committing these fouls within the identify of making an attempt to power turnovers. Nevertheless, Dick is simply within the 52nd percentile in steal price amongst wings. This isn’t actually sufficient defensive playmaking to make up for his moments of recklessness.

On prime of that, Dick is a poor point-of-attack defender (first clip within the video montage beneath) who, regardless of his peak, doesn’t present a lot resistance on drives (second clip) or within the put up (third). And though he battles arduous for defensive rebounds (58th percentile in contested rebounding proportion, minimal 20 video games performed), he can get outworked on field outs (fourth).

Given his frailer body and beneath common vertical pop (he hasn’t recorded a single block in 708 minutes this yr) and lateral agility, it’s arduous to think about Dick ever being even a median defender.

Again to his offense, it’s arduous to check a big function for Dick than the one he presently has. Dick’s acquired a poor handle, as evidenced by the truth that solely 10% of his pictures this yr have come after three or extra dribbles. This limits the quantity of on-ball creation he could be fairly anticipated to deal with. Plus, since he’s not a lot of a vertical risk, he can’t enhance his function by being a lob finisher or rim curler.

The Backside Line

The rationale Dick has been on my radar currently (man, that was an odd sentence to sort) is that his statistical profile (in accordance with Cerebro Sports’ 5-Metric Suite) is fairly much like that of Trey Murphy III’s throughout his inaugural season.

Per @CerebroSports‘ 5-Metric Suite:

Gradey Dick
USG = 16%
PSP = 48
3PE = 72
FGS =50
ATR = 46
DSI = 63

Trey Murphy III (rookie yr)
USG = 15%
PSP = 44
3PE =72
FGS = 52
ATR = 51
DSI = 67

Clearly, TMIII is a greater bodily athlete, however nonetheless fascinating how related they’re. pic.twitter.com/EPXl1enRuX

— Mat Issa (@matissa15) March 8, 2024

Murphy, like Dick, was chosen in the midst of the primary spherical and went largely unrecognized throughout his rookie yr earlier than bursting onto the season in his sophomore season. Now, Murphy is among the most precious function gamers in basketball.

Dick’s ceiling is decrease than Murphy’s due to the variations of their athletic capacity (Murphy was the runner-up within the 2023 Slam Dunk Contest). However it is vitally doable that Dick’s mix of taking pictures, spacing, closeout attacking, and dimension results in a large leap in 12 months Two.

Due to his defensive shortcomings, Dick is probably going eradicated from becoming a member of the elite function participant tier. However along with his peak, if Dick can keep his defensive depth whereas additionally studying to rein in his fouls, he may nonetheless be a fairly good function participant (much like Simone Fontecchio or Duncan Robinson).

Traditionally, successful groups home actually good function gamers, and Dick’s potential to be that makes him price keeping track of shifting ahead.