Just 21, former KU basketball star Gradey Dick has completed his 2nd NBA season
In the time flies when you’re having fun department … former University of Kansas shooting guard Gradey Dick has just completed his second full season in the NBA at the age of 21.
“It’s crazy to think it’s already going to be my third year,” Dick, a 6-foot-6, 200-pound member of the Toronto Raptors said Monday during his end of the 2024-25 season exit interview with Toronto media members.
“I remember talking to Garrett (Temple, 15-year veteran guard) about how he thinks. The speed of his career is gone. I remember thinking about my first year that it’s taken forever. Now thinking about going into my third year, it’s super fast.
“Coming from one year of college (2022-23 at KU), it’s different. But being here, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. It’s amazing. I keep telling my family how great it is and they’re trying to get up here and spend time with me every time (he mentions his love of Toronto). The people in the city are amazing, the versatility of it, all the food, everything. The next thing is Caribana,” he added of what’s billed as North America’s largest Caribbean carnival set for July 31-Aug. 4 in Toronto, Ontario.
Dick — who missed the last 21 games of the season because of a hyperextended right knee and bone bruise in his pelvis suffered when teammate RJ Barrett and Orlando’s Cole Anthony tumbled into the path of the former Jayhawk on March 2 — should be completely healthy prior to the start of the summertime festival.
His current plan is to return to Kansas for a couple weeks, then begin working out after averaging 14.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists as a starter in 54 games in 2024-25. Dick hit 41% of his shots, including 35% of his 3’s.
“Going home, it’s going to be a little rest and then eventually build up,” Dick said. “Make sure my body’s feeling right with the medical team and staff, but yes, I feel great and morale is great. I’m excited to get this full roster on the court and get after it.”
He said being out of action since early March hasn’t meant wasted time.
“With my (slender) body, I know that needs to get better. I’m young, but I have the frame. I just need to fill it out. And I’m doing that every day,” Dick said. “Being out has allowed me to see the game from a different perspective. I’m thankful for that, because you get in the heat of the moment and you’re so focused day after day, game after game. Being out allowed me to watch the game from a different side, then off the court it’s been getting my body right. It’s a lot of upper body now with my leg getting better.”
Dick saw his game improve in 2024-25.
“Another season of growth,” he said, adding, “I’ll never be satisfied until I make the most of my abilities. The big thing is my defense, which I need to get better at. And that’s only going to happen with live play.”
Dick had some huge scoring games when healthy this past season. He scored 32 points against Milwaukee, 31 points against the Los Angeles Lakers, 30 points against Charlotte and 27 against both Dallas and Chicago. As one of Toronto’s most explosive scorers, he was double teamed much of the season.
“To be guarded like that at my age I think is only going to help me,” said Dick, who averaged 8.5 points and 2.2 rebounds his rookie season after averaging 14.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in 2022-23, his one year at KU. “I feel like when I’m in those positions it’ll only help me learn and really just improve my game.
“In my case, my mindset is always just to learn and be a sponge, see the vets and older guys in the league and bounce ideas off them. It’s about improving every day.”
Dick has made a conscious effort to be more than a 3-point shooter.
“Going out there and showing my versatility,” he said. “If they are seeing me as a shooter, say I’ve hit a couple of shots, they’re going to jump out on my shot a lot more, where I can put the ball on the ground and finish it on the rim.
“That (driving) is a big part of my game that I want to keep improving — and of course defense.”
Grady Dick’s NBA contract
Dick, who was taken 13th overall by Toronto in the 2023 NBA Draft, according to published reports made $4,763,760 last season, the money coming as part of a four-year $21,422,550 contract. His rookie salary was $4,536,720. He is under contract for $4.99 million next season.
The Raptors have until Oct. 31 to decide if they wish to pick up his $7.13 million team option for 2026-27.
He’s considered an integral piece of a team that went 30-52 last season.
Asked about internal competition for minutes as he returns from injury, Dick said: “Competition with anything builds you up. That’s how it is every year with guys trying to compete for their spots. Iron sharpens iron. Coming into the summer, guys being competitive, it’s only going to help us that much.”
Of Dick, coach Darko Rajakovic told The New York Times: “There’s no reason to be hiding him at any point of his career. He’s young. I don’t expect that he has all the answers and tools to do it right now. But I’m a big believer that he’s going to be able to in the long run.
“I love that he does not have fear attacking the rim,” Rajakovic added. “There has to be a lot of work to learn how to finish now. I think without the force and being fearless, the other things cannot come.”
Early last season, Rajakovic called Dick “the future of this organization, and we need to have patience. I need to continue coaching him and keeping him accountable. He knows that. He feels that. A lot of things are new things for him: learning the league, improving his body. I think that he’s capable to do so and to be a good defender, it’s going to take a lot of work and growth.”
This story was originally published April 19, 2025 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Just 21, former KU basketball star Gradey Dick has completed his 2nd NBA season."
