The Gradey Dick Thread Part 3

[ConSarnit]

GTJ doesn't play with speed or force. Gradey does. GTJ plays a methodical style of basketball. All footwork. It's kind of the same dynamic over and over again. Nobody getting tired guarding GTJ.

Because Gradey plays with force & speed, he can get better in so many areas of the game. Even just conditioning and strength will help him play better as the years pass.

I used to think Gradey had no chance of being a decent defender. Now I am seeing glimpses of good footwork & anticipation & it makes me think that he could actually be a GOOD defender in his prime.

His ball handling will get better too, which will allow him to get his game off a little more.

I think Gradey has the "it" factor when it comes to work ethic & drive.

It comes down to court awareness and bbiq. How many times do we see Gary taking ill-advised shots and try to score no matter who is in front of him? And...Gary has no concept of moving without the ball.

Gradey's decision making is on a whole different level compared to Gary. That is the difference.

For sure that, but the talent is night and day. Gradey at 20 is already a much better player. Gary can't finish at the rim for beans.

Dick is obviously a much better offensive player than Trent but his finishing has been pretty awful this year. Dick is currently shooting 47% within 5ft. That's FVV territory. The good thing is finishing seems to be one of easier skills to improve on.

[Psubs]

I mean Poeltl himself told everyone he wasn't going to try that hard this year and that's what we get. The defensive intensity picks up in spots.

We give up a lot of transition opportunities and back cuts. That's coaching.

We foul a lot. That's reputation.

I've mentioned for like 3 years straight POA defense is the least important aspect of defense in the NBA right now and we went out and targeted those types of players in the draft. But we saw last season that offense was juiced by refereeing and taken away midseason by allowing more contact. Maybe we're waiting on another shift.

We're not really getting killed in transition. We're 14th in ppg given up in transition and our defensive ppp is 1.08, which is a solid number. We are giving up the most ppg in the league from FT's and we're 3rd in ppg allowed off turnovers (I'm assuming both live and dead ball ones, which don't necessarily all fall under "transition").

I agree that POA defense is overrated (especially in our case where our POA guys are giving it all back on through TO's or fouling). It's way more valuable to have shooting and competent playmaking from the pg position (with middling defense) than it is to have "lockdown" defenders who aren't offensive threats. I'm not really clear on the drafting POA defenders part. At least for this past couple of years the only one who fits that description is Shead.

Are they too aggressive on defense? I know that they are shutting down some 3pt shooting but are they are too up in their grill when they drive giving up too many FTs?

[MEDIC]

GTJ doesn't play with speed or force. Gradey does. GTJ plays a methodical style of basketball. All footwork. It's kind of the same dynamic over and over again. Nobody getting tired guarding GTJ.

Because Gradey plays with force & speed, he can get better in so many areas of the game. Even just conditioning and strength will help him play better as the years pass.

I used to think Gradey had no chance of being a decent defender. Now I am seeing glimpses of good footwork & anticipation & it makes me think that he could actually be a GOOD defender in his prime.

His ball handling will get better too, which will allow him to get his game off a little more.

I think Gradey has the "it" factor when it comes to work ethic & drive.

It comes down to court awareness and bbiq. How many times do we see Gary taking ill-advised shots and try to score no matter who is in front of him? And...Gary has no concept of moving without the ball.

Gradey's decision making is on a whole different level compared to Gary. That is the difference.

I don't think it's as simple as that. Yes, Gradey has good Bball IQ & makes good decisions.........but so does Kelly Olynyk.

Gary plays a lazy style of basketball. Its mostly about iso touches & using footwork to get tough shots off. No strong off the ball movement, no finishing, no drawing fouls. He doesn't work hard to create easy shots for himself or others.

[WuTang_CMB]

It comes down to court awareness and bbiq. How many times do we see Gary taking ill-advised shots and try to score no matter who is in front of him? And...Gary has no concept of moving without the ball.

Gradey's decision making is on a whole different level compared to Gary. That is the difference.

For sure that, but the talent is night and day. Gradey at 20 is already a much better player. Gary can't finish at the rim for beans.

Dick is obviously a much better offensive player than Trent but his finishing has been pretty awful this year. Dick is currently shooting 47% within 5ft. That's FVV territory. The good thing is finishing seems to be one of easier skills to improve on.

He's going to the rim comfortably. Once his increased strength and know how come in to play, hose %'s will increase. Gary in 6 years never improved at all with his drives and finishing.

[PushDaRock]

It comes down to court awareness and bbiq. How many times do we see Gary taking ill-advised shots and try to score no matter who is in front of him? And...Gary has no concept of moving without the ball.

Gradey's decision making is on a whole different level compared to Gary. That is the difference.

For sure that, but the talent is night and day. Gradey at 20 is already a much better player. Gary can't finish at the rim for beans.

Dick is obviously a much better offensive player than Trent but his finishing has been pretty awful this year. Dick is currently shooting 47% within 5ft. That's FVV territory. The good thing is finishing seems to be one of easier skills to improve on.

He's been missing a lot of bunnies and making a lot of the tougher ones, that probably evens out over the entire year.

[PushDaRock]

I mean Poeltl himself told everyone he wasn't going to try that hard this year and that's what we get. The defensive intensity picks up in spots.

We give up a lot of transition opportunities and back cuts. That's coaching.

We foul a lot. That's reputation.

I've mentioned for like 3 years straight POA defense is the least important aspect of defense in the NBA right now and we went out and targeted those types of players in the draft. But we saw last season that offense was juiced by refereeing and taken away midseason by allowing more contact. Maybe we're waiting on another shift.

We're not really getting killed in transition. We're 14th in ppg given up in transition and our defensive ppp is 1.08, which is a solid number. We are giving up the most ppg in the league from FT's and we're 3rd in ppg allowed off turnovers (I'm assuming both live and dead ball ones, which don't necessarily all fall under "transition").

I agree that POA defense is overrated (especially in our case where our POA guys are giving it all back on through TO's or fouling). It's way more valuable to have shooting and competent playmaking from the pg position (with middling defense) than it is to have "lockdown" defenders who aren't offensive threats. I'm not really clear on the drafting POA defenders part. At least for this past couple of years the only one who fits that description is Shead.

More than anything else, they really just have to stop fouling. Not only is it giving up the most efficient shot in Basketball, it's forcing us to inbound the ball and play in the half court instead of in transition. When the whistle loosens later on in the year, it will be interesting to see the effects that has on our team if we continue this style of play.

[EastonEddy]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

He's def just not a one-dimensional shooter. Our dude Gradey doing all this whilst not being able to legally drink yet in the States. Think we've definitely found another piece.

The real White Mamba!

Those baseline fadeaways are just fun to watch.

[ATLTimekeeper]

I mean Poeltl himself told everyone he wasn't going to try that hard this year and that's what we get. The defensive intensity picks up in spots.

We give up a lot of transition opportunities and back cuts. That's coaching.

We foul a lot. That's reputation.

I've mentioned for like 3 years straight POA defense is the least important aspect of defense in the NBA right now and we went out and targeted those types of players in the draft. But we saw last season that offense was juiced by refereeing and taken away midseason by allowing more contact. Maybe we're waiting on another shift.

We're not really getting killed in transition. We're 14th in ppg given up in transition and our defensive ppp is 1.08, which is a solid number. We are giving up the most ppg in the league from FT's and we're 3rd in ppg allowed off turnovers (I'm assuming both live and dead ball ones, which don't necessarily all fall under "transition").

I agree that POA defense is overrated (especially in our case where our POA guys are giving it all back on through TO's or fouling). It's way more valuable to have shooting and competent playmaking from the pg position (with middling defense) than it is to have "lockdown" defenders who aren't offensive threats. I'm not really clear on the drafting POA defenders part. At least for this past couple of years the only one who fits that description is Shead.

1.08 is still bad defense, and the volume attempted indicates that's where teams feel they have an advantage over us. I agree that points off turnovers play a factor, as does running against no calls as we drive to the basket.

Frankly, I could beat this drum all year but Darko's reluctance to work the refs at all (at least until Scottie gets back) is another hurdle the players have to overcome.

Now trying to tie this back to Gradey, he will likely require more of an eraser at the back end than Poeltl will be able to provide going forward. And the Raptors need to fine him if he takes another charge.

[ConSarnit]

I mean Poeltl himself told everyone he wasn't going to try that hard this year and that's what we get. The defensive intensity picks up in spots.

We give up a lot of transition opportunities and back cuts. That's coaching.

We foul a lot. That's reputation.

I've mentioned for like 3 years straight POA defense is the least important aspect of defense in the NBA right now and we went out and targeted those types of players in the draft. But we saw last season that offense was juiced by refereeing and taken away midseason by allowing more contact. Maybe we're waiting on another shift.

We're not really getting killed in transition. We're 14th in ppg given up in transition and our defensive ppp is 1.08, which is a solid number. We are giving up the most ppg in the league from FT's and we're 3rd in ppg allowed off turnovers (I'm assuming both live and dead ball ones, which don't necessarily all fall under "transition").

I agree that POA defense is overrated (especially in our case where our POA guys are giving it all back on through TO's or fouling). It's way more valuable to have shooting and competent playmaking from the pg position (with middling defense) than it is to have "lockdown" defenders who aren't offensive threats. I'm not really clear on the drafting POA defenders part. At least for this past couple of years the only one who fits that description is Shead.

1.08 is still bad defense, and the volume attempted indicates that's where teams feel they have an advantage over us. I agree that points off turnovers play a factor, as does running against no calls as we drive to the basket.

Frankly, I could beat this drum all year but Darko's reluctance to work the refs at all (at least until Scottie gets back) is another hurdle the players have to overcome.

Now trying to tie this back to Gradey, he will likely require more of an eraser at the back end than Poeltl will be able to provide going forward. And the Raptors need to fine him if he takes another charge.

1.08 is a good transition number. That’s tied for 9th best in the league. We’re middle of the pack (14th) in transition points given up, which is not bad either. We are in the 70th percentile in terms of transition defense so far.

[mrdressup]

It comes down to court awareness and bbiq. How many times do we see Gary taking ill-advised shots and try to score no matter who is in front of him? And...Gary has no concept of moving without the ball.

Gradey's decision making is on a whole different level compared to Gary. That is the difference.

For sure that, but the talent is night and day. Gradey at 20 is already a much better player. Gary can't finish at the rim for beans.

Dick is obviously a much better offensive player than Trent but his finishing has been pretty awful this year. Dick is currently shooting 47% within 5ft. That's FVV territory. The good thing is finishing seems to be one of easier skills to improve on.

What? Fred was a borderline 40% shooter, and that's including a pretty decent 3pt percentage.

[Vampirate]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

He's def just not a one-dimensional shooter. Our dude Gradey doing all this whilst not being able to legally drink yet in the States. Think we've definitely found another piece.

The real White Mamba!

Those baseline fadeaways are just fun to watch.

Just game warping because teams now need to chase him wherever he goes.

He's literally going to moving defenses around.

[PD28]

He will have a 40 point game this year - just a matter of time

[djsunyc]

he struggles alot defending screens. he's very easy to bump off. there's also times he gives up after the initial defensive sequence. alot of factors here - age, experience, strength and stamina (with his heavy mins workload and usage). after the long road trip, he had zero legs on his shot vs. the pistons.

[HumbleRen]

Every team we face is now putting their best perimeter defender on him now.

34% from the floor, 27% from the 3 over the last week and half. Still getting to the FT line nearly 7 times a game but they’re definitely on his ass.

We’ll see how he deals with the extra attention he gets, pretty big compliment to get this at 20 years old.

[Kingsway_fan]

Every team we face is now putting their best perimeter defender on him now.

34% from the floor, 27% from the 3 over the last week and half. Still getting to the FT line nearly 7 times a game but they’re definitely on his ass.

We’ll see how he deals with the extra attention he gets, pretty big compliment to get this at 20 years old.

I suspect that will change by next year, should we draft a top talent, and with Scottie back... he should get much better looks ... good experience for him this year, and same for RJ...

[Thaddy]

Every team we face is now putting their best perimeter defender on him now.

34% from the floor, 27% from the 3 over the last week and half. Still getting to the FT line nearly 7 times a game but they’re definitely on his ass.

We’ll see how he deals with the extra attention he gets, pretty big compliment to get this at 20 years old.

I suspect that will change by next year, should we draft a top talent, and with Scottie back... he should get much better looks ... good experience for him this year, and same for RJ...

Gradey facing tough defenses now, and then sliding into his original role should make his efficiency skyrocket. As a 4th option he can't just be a scorer we will need to see better man and team defense from him

[BHF]

Dick is like a Sam Hauser with the green light.

[Scase]

Every team we face is now putting their best perimeter defender on him now.

34% from the floor, 27% from the 3 over the last week and half. Still getting to the FT line nearly 7 times a game but they’re definitely on his ass.

We’ll see how he deals with the extra attention he gets, pretty big compliment to get this at 20 years old.

Fielding a more talented team will do wonders for him, getting the top perimeter defender is massive, and someone else is gonna get freed up.

[Duffman100]

I'd like to see the "miles run" metric on this kid too. I think he's dealing with a bit of fatigue from the constant motion and being the focus of the defense.

[SFour]

Every team we face is now putting their best perimeter defender on him now.

34% from the floor, 27% from the 3 over the last week and half. Still getting to the FT line nearly 7 times a game but they’re definitely on his ass.

We’ll see how he deals with the extra attention he gets, pretty big compliment to get this at 20 years old.

add Barnes/IQ and someone like Flagg onto the team and Dick doesn't have to deal with that much attention....this is a good learning experience for him though.