The Gradey Dick Thread Part 3

[GoRapstheoriginal]

No injury update!?!? Please fill me in with the information! ?!?! plz/thx

[mihaic]

They play tmr, we will get the update then.

[Appostis]

No injury update!?!? Please fill me in with the information! ?!?! plz/thx

He's probably done. Small chance he returns if they make the finals.

2-3 games was his likely max. Nobody going to rush him back for summer league.

[WuTang_CMB]

Read on Twitter

[Scase]

Read on Twitter

If he can get put into the SL or at least a lot of burn with them, I'm expecting a good year from him. If he's dumped onto the bench primarily, I expect him to struggle again, like we saw in SL this year. Surround him with trash, and he's gonna play poorly as he's the defensive focus.

[Reeko]

He's knocking on the door of superstardom, many just haven't realized it yet.

[Duffman100]

He's knocking on the door of superstardom, many just haven't realized it yet.

Reeko on Dick or Shakril on Poeltl?

[DKB333]

He's knocking on the door of superstardom, many just haven't realized it yet.

Easily on his way to being the best SG in the league.

[Dalek]

If Toronto's expectations are to develop players and to fit pieces around Scottie's skillset, then I think starting Gradey Dick at SG makes sense.

-Adds an off-ball shooting threat
-Determines whether he will fit long-term
-Forces Gradey to defend but also puts him on the court with two-three high level defenders (Barnes, Poeltl, IQ)
-Creates an opportunity for Ja'Kobe Walter to be a 6 man scorer off the bench

Normally, I would say Gradey is still too young to start, but I think they should take a long look at this rather than focusing on adding another vet in with the starters. Gradey's scoring potential makes things easier for the starters.

[CPT]

I want to see what he has this year. The key is going to be whether he can do enough defensively to stick on the court.

One of Gradey or JKW should be the SG of the future. If they both look like they can fill that role, it's a good problem to have. If neither looks like a starter, that's a bit of a problem.

That said, I'm also not sure we need to lock in many parts of this roster for the future when it may need bigger changes.

[billy_hoyle]

I want to see what he has this year. The key is going to be whether he can do enough defensively to stick on the court.

One of Gradey or JKW should be the SG of the future. If they both look like they can fill that role, it's a good problem to have. If neither looks like a starter, that's a bit of a problem.

That said, I'm also not sure we need to lock in many parts of this roster for the future when it may need bigger changes.

Where does that leave the 6'6", 20-5-5 former 3rd overall pick 24 yr old?

Presumably you don't want him guarding guys 2-3 inches taller and 20-30 lbs heavier.

[DG88]

He's knocking on the door of superstardom, many just haven't realized it yet.

Reeko on Dick or Shakril on Poeltl?

This is sig worthy

[Brinbe]

Without resorting to the easy girthy jokes, but it is good that based on these updates on socials, Gradey's already filled out quite a bit more physically compared to his rookie campaign. Gives me some hope that he possibly could co-exist alongside RJ down the road in a starting unit. Maybe they nominally switch up positions on offense/defense or specific matchups.

I think, to his credit, even in the few summer league games he played this year he showed more overall comfort with the pace of play and looked to be aggressive instead of being passive. He displayed that, similar to what he did at Kansas, he can impact games beyond just shooting in terms of passing/rebounding/hustle plays. Obviously that shooting will always be his calling card/reason why he has drafted as high as he was, but it's good to see some small peeks that he's not one-dimensional. He was highly touted in a pretty good draft for a reason.

But his ability to defend/not be automatically targeted/pushed around will also be iabsolutely nstrumental in whether he has a viable long-term career and we can only hope his physical gains will materialise into something tangible on the court, hopefully more immediately? But again, let's remember he's still only 20 and we may not see him at his best until he reaches more into his physical maturity which may not come until he's 24/25.

Hopefully he stays healthy and I think if he does, by the end of the year he'll be included more into the future core talks alongside RJ/IQ in addition to Scottie, obviously.

[Scase]

He's knocking on the door of superstardom, many just haven't realized it yet.

Reeko on Dick or Shakril on Poeltl?

Hey now, at least Gradey has potential, or at the very least, youth lol.

[S.W.A.N]

I want to see what he has this year. The key is going to be whether he can do enough defensively to stick on the court.

One of Gradey or JKW should be the SG of the future. If they both look like they can fill that role, it's a good problem to have. If neither looks like a starter, that's a bit of a problem.

That said, I'm also not sure we need to lock in many parts of this roster for the future when it may need bigger changes.

Where does that leave the 6'6", 20-5-5 former 3rd overall pick 24 yr old?

Presumably you don't want him guarding guys 2-3 inches taller and 20-30 lbs heavier.

Yes we do. Until Gradey is a little stronger, it should be RJ who plays the three (or just defend the more dangerous wings/sg)

And the average starting Small forward is 6'7 220 pounds. Let's not pretend RJ is undersized to guard the 3 in a league where Bruce Brown can play PF and C.

Regardless, RJ is a 2-3 and match-ups will likely dictate what position he plays on any night. But if he can't be a positive defensively then the best place for him long term might be as a 6th man. IF he can defend then he's an above average starter and Gradey, JKW, Mogbo and 2025 draft pick aka Cooper Flagg will fight for the last starter spot.

[CPT]

I want to see what he has this year. The key is going to be whether he can do enough defensively to stick on the court.

One of Gradey or JKW should be the SG of the future. If they both look like they can fill that role, it's a good problem to have. If neither looks like a starter, that's a bit of a problem.

That said, I'm also not sure we need to lock in many parts of this roster for the future when it may need bigger changes.

Where does that leave the 6'6", 20-5-5 former 3rd overall pick 24 yr old?

Presumably you don't want him guarding guys 2-3 inches taller and 20-30 lbs heavier.

I’m not sure that guy exists, but if he does, I envision him playing next to Gradey. If you want to call him the SG and Gradey the SF, sure, but I think RJ’s strength should allow him to guard the opposing SF more often.

Again, I’m not looking to make big plans based on anyone on this roster except Scottie. If Gradey makes RJ redundant, great. If RJ reduces Gradey to a bench role, cool. If they can play together on a winning team, fantastic. My worry is they are both just fine and we will have another position filled with average to below average production.

[WuTang_CMB]

Gradey was comfortable with catch and shoots stationary or off movement post January. It's good that he showed that in his rookie season at the NBA level. There will be a lot of that next year for him again. Curious how Darko expands him next season

[WuTang_CMB]

https://youtu.be/liU46E0_ifI?t=1971

[ForeverTFC]

The more I think about it, the more I think it would be a mistake to start Gradey to begin the season. Too many guys in the SL will be trying to come into their own and assert themselves. I think we can feature him more off the bench, especially in the Scottie at PG lineups once IQ sits.

I'd start Brown, trade him by the deadline, and if Gradey has shown progression and found a real role on the team, I insert him in then.

[Brinbe]

The more I think about it, the more I think it would be a mistake to start Gradey to begin the season. Too many guys in the SL will be trying to come into their own and assert themselves. I think we can feature him more off the bench, especially in the Scottie at PG lineups once IQ sits.

I'd start Brown, trade him by the deadline, and if Gradey has shown progression and found a real role on the team, I insert him in then.

Agree with that. Am fine with Brown being the 5th starter and Gradey can be a key bench piece to begin the season and Darko can always give him a good amount of minutes even if he's not starting, especially if he's having a good shooting night.