A few seconds after the passage of Adam Silver, who announced that he was chosen by the Raptors in 13th position in the Draft 2023, Gradey Dick climbed onto the stage to shake hands with the NBA boss, decked out in his unmistakable red sequined jacket, his silver chain and a very wide smile in the middle of his face. A few minutes later at a press conference, he explained, still with a big smile, that he now hoped to become friends with rapper Drake, who lives in Toronto and is used to the front row at ScotiaBank Arena.
In short, that night, it didn’t take long to grasp that Gradey Dick seems like a hell of a character. A jovial and always smiling young man, whose dance videos on the TikTok network reflect an endearing and colorful personality, the new “rookie” of the Ontario club exudes a certain charisma in his own way and will undoubtedly have no difficult to put in the pocket the fans of the Canadian team.
” Get ready, because we’re going to have a lot of fun “, he launched to them besides, before more seriously admitting that he would not have “ couldn’t imagine a better team to be drafted to. The city, the fans… It’s great. »
Finally shooting in Toronto, but not only
On the sporting level, Gradey Dick will also bring a breath of fresh air to the Raptors. By the high quality of his outside shooting in the first place obviously, after a “freshman” season concluded at 40.3% in the exercise, with almost 6 shots per game (14.1 points). Quite a reinforcement, despite the status of “rookie”, for a team which has just completed the 2022/23 campaign in the penultimate place of the entire league in the percentage of success (33.5%)…
But Bobby Webster, the club’s GM, nevertheless insists: Gradey Dick is not just about his shot, and that’s precisely what pleased the management of the Raptors.
” He’s not just a one-dimensional shooter. He knows how to move away from the ball, especially in the back of the defense, he is voluntary on the rebound (5.1 taken this season). So even if he will logically be labeled as a shooter at the beginning of his career, I really think that he is rather a complete player who knows how to shoot particularly well » thus noted Bobby Webster at a press conference. ” We wanted to strengthen our ability to shoot, while recruiting a boy capable of other things, like defending. This is what made his profile appealing. »
A clever defender
Defending, Gradey Dick also knows how to do it. In his own way, as we noted in the presentation of his profile, that is to say by using his basketball IQ more than his athletic qualities. According to the website CBB Analytics, for example, he finished the 2022/23 season in the 95th percentile in the country in interceptions (meaning he was more efficient in this area than 95% of the players in the country), with his 1.5 catch . In a team that for several years has advocated defense as the Raptors do, he will therefore not be dropped, there too…
” He’s a clever defender. It is particularly in this area that we notice that he is an intelligent player. He knows who he is, and doesn’t take himself for what he is not. continued a conquered Bobby Webster. ” He’ll probably be the first to admit he has some physical and athletic limitations in one-on-one play, but remember he’s played in the Big 12 this season. The most physical of all. So he’s already used to facing players who are bigger, stronger or faster than him. »
