GLF wrote:Y’all overrate Ochai’s defence. He is an average defender. Ja’Kobe is a much better point of attack defender than Ochai is and I’m confident he will be a better overall defender in a year or 2 once he gets stronger. What I think you guys miss when it comes to Gradey, is yes Ochai shot 40% from 3, but Gradey has WAY and I mean WAY more gravity than Ochai. Raptors offence is much better when Gradey is on the floor. The stats back that up. And it’s because of his gravity.
Gradey at such a young age takes some of the most difficult shots, shots Ochai couldn’t dream of taking. Ochai takes the easiest shots on the floor and has the easiest job of anyone on the team. That was done purposefully because of how bad he was when he initially came to us. Darko simplified his role big time. I give Ochai credit for the improvements he made, because he went from not hitting shots to hitting shots, but in the playoffs Ochai wouldn’t be as effective.
Movement shooting is WAY more valuable and important in today’s NBA than wide open stand still catch and shoot shooting. And that’s all Ochai does. Teams have figured out how to guard the stand still catch and shoot 3s. This isn’t 2015 anymore. Gradey is also really good at putting the ball on the floor after an advantage is created for him and he gets to the free throw line bc of it and hits his free throws. That’s huge in the playoffs. Ochai isn’t as good at doing that and Gradey is only going to get better at it. Once Gradey gets stronger and starts finishing better it’s over. It’s why Max Strus for example is such a good role player. He can shoot the ball but also put it on the floor when he gets a close out.
Gradey offensive potential is crazy, remember Gradey shot 46% on wide open stand still catch and shoot 3s. I don’t think y’all understand the shooter Gradey is bc his overall numbers say he’s a 35% 3 point shooter. You always have to have context with the stats. If Gradey got to play Ochai’s role on offence he would shoot 46% from 3. Gradey does not need to be a 3&D guy to be valuable to a team. He just needs to become a neutral defender. He can’t keep destroying lineups defensively like he currently is.
I think he can become a neutral defender bc the biggest reason for his bad defence is his lack of strength. Once he gets stronger, which he just naturally should, he’ll be passable on that end. He tries hard, cares, and has the IQ to be a good enough defender when he gets stronger. He’s also tall for his position. And the start of this past season is proof. He lost weight as the season went on, you could see it. Which makes sense bc he’s running around the court so much on offence and took on a huge role to start the season bc of the injuries. But to start the season you could see he bulked up. His defence was MUCH better to start the season than it was to end it. Strength will make a huge difference for him
If we prioritize Ochai over Gradey, I promise in 4 years or so when Gradey starts hitting his prime everyone will regret it. Now if Gradey doesn’t become a neutral defender then we can talk, but giving up on him this quickly is crazy. I’m glad none of y’all are the GM of this team lol. I’m only trading Gradey if it’s for an upgrade. Not for some mystery box draft pick lol. Be for real
they are both very different players. with that said, we have a glut at 2/3 for development so a move will probably happen this summer. ochai gives me strong norm vibes. gradey just needs to hit shots.
