Darko Rajakovic said of his sophomore: “He intrigued me from the start. Thinking what kind of player he can be in the future, and how to maximize his potential.”
Rajakovic was echoing what Bobby Webster said on draft night so long ago. “I think we had Gradey in kind of his own– his own group. But, yeah, there was a– you know, I’m sure we’ll see how it all plays out over the next couple years. I think, probably, the size, shooting IQ, probably stood out a bit.” said Webster. “He’s not just a shooter. I think, you know, he knows how to play off the ball. He knows how to make, you know, backdoor cuts. He can pass well. He rebounds well. So I think he’s, you know, more of a well-rounded player, even though he’s probably going to get pegged early as just a shooter.”
By the way, above-the-break shooting is significantly more important than the corners. It allows drives to either side of the court against aggressive closeouts, it drags defenders away from the baseline and the rim, creates way more playmaking opportunities and for teambuilding purposes – it allows weaker shooters to occupy the corners where they might actually be able to hit a shot. It’s a huge deal that Dick is shaking his shot chart up and hitting well from there. Also, six of his eleven made triples from ATB came a full step or further from behind the line. Stretching the floor indeed.
“Gradey stretches out the floor. He brings a lot of attention. People are gonna have to respect him shooting the ball. That’s what he does.” said Barnes. “You know, being able to get downhill, or spread it out for threes or running actions for him, it’s just going to help our team out so much with the shooting and spacing the floor.”
Of course, shooting and spacing the floor isn’t the only way that Dick is able to help the Raptors. Those long, aggressive closeouts we talked about? He’s driving them. When players try and wall off the screens he’s taking up court? He’s back cutting them. He’s planting screens as often as possible (and has been the lynchpin back screener in spain actions). His touch at the rim has always been elite — even if the strength deficiencies (relative to other NBA players) make it hard for him to hold his ground there — and we’re seeing a vast array of finishes that include finger rolls with both hands over outstretched defenders, high kisses off the glass, and the reverse package has been on display for ages now.
“It’s definitely a talent, to know when to cut and when not to.” Gradey told me. “But, it’s really just watching your point guards, and guys with the ball in their hands. It’s playing off of them, seeing where they’re at on the court, if you can cut, try to open up the floor for them. Most of the time you’re not really cutting for your shot, you’re cutting to open up someone else’s. Hopefully that opens up space for you. At the end of the day, the more movement the better. If you’re kind of hesitating whether you’re gonna cut or not, most of the time you’re a second too late. It’s more about getting out there, moving around the court and trying to make shots for everyone else.”
Do teammates appreciate players who make the burn cut? “Of course.” Gradey said. “Extra movement gets people excited. You want to move on the court. You want to make defenses have to change stuff up.”
