Gradey Dick was selected 13th overall by the Toronto Raptors at the 2023 NBA Draft.
It hasn’t been a smooth start to Dick’s NBA career as the rookie was sent down to Raptors 905. Since then, Dick has been in between spending time with 905 and the main team.
Dick was with the Raptors for their game against the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 15, but he only saw 3 minutes of action in garbage time when Toronto was getting blown out. He hit a three in the closing moments of the game to finish with three points.
Then prior to that Dick was a DNP in the game against the Hawks on Dec. 13. Then he saw only 4 minutes of action in another blowout loss to the New York Knicks on Nov. 11 as he finished with 2 points.
Dick hasn’t seen any significant playing time and it seems like he has fallen out of the rotation.
In 17 games for the Raptors, Dick is averaging 3.7 points and 1.3 rebounds in only 13.4 minutes per game.
This is a little bit confusing because the Raptors are a bad shooting team and could use Dick’s shooting ability. Yes, Dick has been struggling but Toronto is already having a bad season so they might as well let him play more and get comfortable.
By not playing Dick, the Raptors are not allowing him to gain confidence or get into any kind of rhythm. Dick was a lottery pick and right now he isn’t being given a fair shot to prove himself.
Even prior to being sent down to Raptors 905, Dick got 9 minutes of action against the Chicago Bulls, 12 minutes against the Orlando Magic and 12 minutes against the lowly Detroit Pistons.
The Raptors need to play Dick more minutes if they want him to develop. Playing him inconsistently is not going to do him any favors.
The Raptors should be prioritizing the younger talent on their team and should be letting Dick get his reps.
Next up for Raptors
The Raptors will be hosting the Charlotte Hornets at home on Dec. 18.
The last time these two teams met, the Hornets beat the Raptors 119-116 on Dec. 8. The Raptors only made 6 three-pointers in the loss.
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