"The Toronto Raptors have stocked up on shooting guards over the last few years, all of whom have disappointed to one degree or another. Chief of Disappointers has been Gradey Dick, the third-year guard out of Kansas whose flashes of brilliance have been eclipsed by mediocre play. To make things worse, Keyonte George is breaking out and making the Raptors wish they hadn't passed on him in the first place."
"It's without question that they could have done better, however. Gradey Dick entered the league as a sharpshooting wing out of Kansas who flashed some on-ball shot creation skills; he was always going to be a defensive liability, but if he could be a lights-out shooter he could be the next Luke Kennard. Instead, Dick has lost his shot entirely since entering the league. After shooting 36.5 percent from deep as a rookie, he hit just 35 percent of his deep shots in 2024-25."
"Dick plays hard, he has been relatively healthy (played in a league-leading 49 games this season) and seems like a good culture guy. But armed with a lottery pick in 2023, the Raptors could have come away with a much better player. While Gradey Dick has gone downhill in his third season, the player taken three slots later has exploded into stardom. The Utah Jazz may be trying to tank another year away, but the play of Keyonte George has made that more difficult than they expected."
The Toronto Raptors have accumulated several shooting guards in recent years who have underperformed, with Gradey Dick standing out as the most disappointing. Gradey Dick arrived as a sharpshooting wing from Kansas with on-ball creation but has seen his three-point accuracy decline from 36.5% as a rookie to 35% in 2024-25 and 31.7% this season. Dick remains hardworking, healthy (league-leading 49 games played) and a positive cultural presence. The player taken three slots after Dick, Keyonte George, has broken out and is scoring at a high level, intensifying regret over the 2023 draft choice.
Read at Raptors Rapture
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