His first NBA preseason completed, Raptors’ Gradey Dick to vie for minutes in Toronto
A starter in his one season at Kansas and before that in high school and on the AAU circuit, Gradey Dick may be embarking on a new, unfamiliar role to begin his first NBA campaign.
“For a rookie, for a young rookie, it’s going to be a lot of patience and time,” Toronto Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic told Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports when asked about the former Jayhawks shooting guard/small forward.
Dick averaged 7.3 points (on 40% shooting, 46.7% from 3), 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game during the Raptors’ four exhibition games. Toronto, which selected Dick with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, opens the 2023-24 regular season against Minnesota on Wednesday in Toronto.
“From the first preseason game when he stepped on the court, you could just see that the game is just so fast for him and he’s rushing things,” Rajakovic said. “I think that the last couple of games that he did a better job of slowing down a little bit.”
Rajakovic spoke after Friday’s 134-98 victory over Washington — Dick’s best game of the four. The 6-8 ,205-pound Wichita native scored 12 points on 4-of-5 3-point shooting and grabbed two rebounds with two steals and one assist in the blowout victory.
He played 19 minutes in the win over the Wizards and averaged 16.6 minutes per game in the four exhibitions.
“He’s got to slow down himself before the game slows down for him. And that’s a normal thing for all the rookies,” Rajakovic said. “I think the way he’s picking up defensive things and getting better in our schemes, understanding personnel designations, I think it is going to be very important for him.
“And then offensively, just the way he’s playing without the ball, the way he’s cutting and moving and creating offense (effectively) for us.”
ESPN.com currently lists Dick third on the Raptors’ depth chart at both shooting guard and small forward. At shooting guard, the Raptors have O.G. Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. At small forward there’s Scottie Barnes and Jalen McDaniels.
Dick, who turns 20 on Nov. 20, appears mentally ready for whatever is in store minutes-wise during his rookie season.
“Preseason’s been great, I’m taking notes from every single game,” Dick told reporters at Thursday’s practice, as quoted by dailyhive.com. “Lotta coaching… It’s still pretty early. People have ideas of their roles, why they were brought here in the first place… I always have the mindset of coming in as the new guy and just be that sponge and take in all the coaching.”
Dick averaged 14.1 points and 5.1 rebounds a game his one-and-done season at KU. He started 36 games for the (28-8) Jayhawks while playing 32.7 minutes per contest. In four Las Vegas summer league games for the Raptors, he averaged 16 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
“When you go from level to level there are going to be some changes obviously,” Dick said. “There are grown men in this league. That’s something as a 19-year-old coming in, obviously I need to continue to grow my body.
“At the same time I’m 19. I’m going to get bigger with time. I have the drive to do that make myself as ready as I can. My biggest thing is learning from amazing coach Darko and the vets and utilize that to my advantage.”
Pascal Siakam of the Raptors sees significant playing time ahead for Dick.
“He can shoot, and do all these things… I feel like he is (a complete player). He cuts very well, he rebounds very well. I don’t think there’s any pressure on him. He’s just got to be himself,” Siakam said
Dick’s Halloween outfit
Dick dressed up as Scooby-Doo during the Raptors’ weekend Halloween Party, dailyhive.com’s Adam Laskaris revealed on social media platform X. Dick is pictured in a video imitating the howl of Scooby-Doo.
This story was originally published October 23, 2023 at 6:30 AM with the headline "His first NBA preseason completed, Raptors’ Gradey Dick to vie for minutes in Toronto."
