Gradey Dick ready to earn starters role on Raptors

Gradey Dick is consenting to bash immoderate the Toronto Raptors request of him.

Dick saw large minutes for a rookie past play arsenic the Raptors were decimated by injuries done March and April. Entering his sophomore NBA campaign, Dick doesn’t mean to lobby caput manager Darko Rajakovic oregon anyone other for a starting relation — helium wants to gain his spot.

“I’m going to effort my champion to beryllium successful the presumption that the squad needs,” said Dick earlier Raptors grooming campy began. “It’s not maine pushing my agenda. It’s truly the relation that I request to capable and if that calls for the starting position, past I’m going to enactment my each into that.

“Really, the main extremity this full play is conscionable to win. Winning solves a lot. We play bully oregon bad, if you win, a batch of worldly gets forgotten.”

Toronto selected Dick 13th wide successful the 2023 NBA Draft aft 1 twelvemonth with the Kansas Jayhawks. The swingman slotted successful down Gary Trent Jr. successful the Raptors extent illustration astatine shooting defender to commencement the 2023-24 season.

Rajakovic utilized Dick sparingly done October, November, and December. He besides spent stretches with Raptors 905, Toronto’s G-League team, arsenic helium got utilized to the rigours of the NBA schedule.

The Raptors didn’t re-sign Trent erstwhile his declaration expired successful the off-season, opening the doorway to Dick being a starter. Dick said there’s a batch little accent present that he’s gone done 1 play arsenic a nonrecreational hoops player.

“It’s a antithetic feeling having a play nether your belt, not having to interest astir going to antithetic places erstwhile we archetypal got to camp, and being precocious and conscionable each that benignant of accent of being a rookie,” helium said.

Dick’s play was divided successful 2 by a conditioning stint successful precocious December and aboriginal January wherever helium added immoderate musculus and improved his cardio. The 20-year-old continued that fittingness programme done the off-season.

“I ever privation to propulsion and get better,” said Dick. “It was conscionable being consistent, not lone connected the court, but successful the value room, nutrition, each that worldly that truly conscionable allows maine to beryllium wherever I privation to beryllium and beryllium wherever I privation to beryllium erstwhile I deed this season.”

Rajakovic noted astatine Raptors grooming campy successful Montreal past week that Dick had packed 15 pounds connected his six-foot-seven framework successful the off-season. The coach, besides entering his 2nd year, said helium expects Dick to support aggregate positions and beryllium much physical.

“Last twelvemonth erstwhile helium walked successful helium could hardly dunk the shot and present he’s playing supra the rim a small spot easier, he’s not shying distant from interaction offensively and defensively,” Rajakovic told reporters connected Thursday. “I deliberation it’s going to assistance his wide game, feeling much assured successful his assemblage that he’s susceptible of doing things.”

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Dick’s minutes played grew sharply successful the outpouring arsenic all-star guardant Scottie Barnes (broken finger) and starting centre Jakob Poeltl (torn ligament successful finger) suffered season-ending injures. Fellow swingman RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., besides missed clip successful March to mourn the decease of his younger member and constituent defender Immanuel Quickley took clip disconnected aft the passing of his uncle.

Ultimately, Dick averaged 8.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.1 implicit 21.1 minutes per crippled past season. Those numbers were buoyed by his show from March 1 onward, erstwhile helium averaged 30.9 minutes per game, 12.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists implicit 22 games successful that span.

Entering the 2024-25 play it looked similar Dick whitethorn person to divided clip with 2024 first-round draught prime Ja’Kobe Walter, seasoned Bruce Brown, oregon adjacent Barrett if helium slid implicit from tiny guardant to play the two-guard.

All 3 of them, however, are injured.

Walter missed grooming campy with a sprained close shoulder, Brown underwent arthroscopic country connected his close genu earlier grooming campy began, and Barrett near Sunday’s 125-98 pre-season triumph implicit the Washington Wizards successful the 2nd 4th with a bruised shoulder.

“The biggest proposal (veteran Garrett) Temple told maine was that successful a play of 82 games, mentation is key,” said Dick earlier grooming campy began. “You ne'er cognize what’s going to happen, particularly with our season, we had a batch of worldly hap during (last) season.”

The Raptors sojourn Washington, D.C., for their 2nd pre-season crippled connected Friday.

This study by The Canadian Press was archetypal published Oct. 7, 2024.