Toronto Raptors Rookie Gradey Dick Finds His Stride In Atlanta Hawks Matchup
Down multiple starters, the Toronto Raptors had to lean on their depth in Sunday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. Without R.J. Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Jontay Porter, and Jakob Poeltl, rookie Gradey Dick earned the opportunity to play 25 minutes in this matchup. The No. 13 overall pick, Dick brings an intriguing level of shooting proficiency at the wing position.
So far, Dick has spent most of his time in the G League for the Raptors 905. He’s briefly been called up for NBA stints, but has not yet found consistent rotation minutes. Before this game, he averaged just 3.7 points and 12.9 minutes and per game across 24 scattered appearances. He’d also shot just 27.6% from beyond the arc, an atypical low mark given Dick’s long history of shooting excellence. He made over 40% of his 5.7 3-point attempts per contest a year ago as a freshman for the Kansas Jayhawks.
In this one, though, he made his claim for a rotation spot with solid all-around impact. He converted the easy looks as a shooter, nailing three of his five tries from deep. While these makes were nothing spectacular, Dick’s movement off the ball to get these shots popped. With his potent jumper, the 6-foot-7 20-year-old will be able to increase the impact of his shooting with some more experience.
His 3-point shooting led the way for his 15 points, the second highest mark of his NBA career, but Dick also brought impact in other ways. He came off some off-ball screens to get downhill and pressure the rim. He recorded one of his three assists from a nice dump-off pass off one of these drives.
Down the stretch, Dick played an instrumental role in keeping the Raptors close with the Hawks. Down a point with 10 seconds left, he stole the ball from Trae Young and assisted Scottie Barnes for the go-ahead bucket. Toronto ended up losing to a Saddiq Bey putback game-winner, but Dick finished with a plus-minus of 19; despite their one-point loss, the Raptors outscored the Hawks by 19 points in Dick’s 25 minutes on the floor.
As the Raptors continue to build around Barnes, Dick’s shooting ability and knack for making the little plays should fit well next to Toronto’s core.
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