Gradey Dick has bulked up.
The 20-year-old has put on some size ahead of the 2024-25 season. Dick confirmed his weight gain at training camp.
“It would be around like 13 if we’re being specific, because it was right after the season that I came back from being at home. Came back and then we started going straight full practice mode again…I’m bigger that’s all you need to know,” Dick told reporters in Montreal.
Dick was asked if his increased size will change how he operates on the floor.
It’s not a huge change, to be honest, because I still have so much room to grow, but at the same time it’s more like the core strength and like the exercises and movements we do in the weight room that really helped me hold my ground,” he said.
Dick worked on improving his game during the offseason. He returned home to Wichita, Kansas with Raptors assistant coach Ivo Simović to work more as an off-ball shooter.
“I always talk about continuing to find open gaps for my shots and allowing the space of the court to open up for openings for other guys,” Dick said. “I feel like it’s just playing off them, finding my role in that, and then expanding my game a little bit.”
Dick wants to be more than just a knock-down corner shooter. He wants to be someone who can move around the floor and have the opposing defense account for his off-ball movement.
“Most of the time you’re not really cutting for your shot, you’re cutting to open up someone else’s, and ultimately that opens up space for you. At the end of the day, the more movement, the better. If you’re kind of hesitating when you want to cut or not, most of the time you’re a second too late. So it’s more just getting out there and moving around the court and trying to try to make shots for everyone else,” Dick said.
If Dick brings this new element to his game this season, then there’s no doubt he would be an excellent choice for the fifth starter spot in Toronto.
NBA analyst reveals Bruce Brown as likely trade candidate this season
The 2024-25 NBA regular season hasn’t even started yet and there is already trade buzz surrounding Bruce Brown’s name.
According to ESPN senior writer Chris Herring, he believes Brown is the likeliest player to be traded before the trade deadline next year.
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