Gradey Dick is having a horrible rookie season so far. 4.4 pts on 43% TS is really bad. He’s also grading out as one of the worst impactful rookies of his class so far in most advanced metrics.
But I’m not saying he’s a bust, I actually do believe his shot will start falling and he can become a serviceable bench roleplayer. If everything breaks right, he seems like he could be a better version of Kevin Huerter which is great.
But looking at how other rookies are doing so far, I find myself understanding the pick less and less. Pick 14, Jordan Hawkins is averaging 14ppg on 54% TS and 36% from 3. Keynote George is averaging 5 assists. Brandon Podziemski and Marcus Sasser are also looking great. These guys all clearly have higher base floors than Gradey while also having higher ceilings than a Kevin Huerter roleplayers type due to their better athletic ability, playmaking skill, shot creation, etc that Gradey doesn’t have.
So why did we pick a roleplayer shooter over guys who can fill our hole of high potential, shot creators with similar if not better shooting ability? It’s not like we’re a contending team that can take a rookie shooter and get them tons of open looks so they contribute right away. This team has a clear lack of top end talent and I don’t see how picking a low ceiling shooter is actually the right move in any way.
Help me understand?
You are completely right. I didn’t like the Gradey pick then & I definitely don’t like it now. Wish we’d have taken someone with a higher ceiling like Keyonte or Hawkins. Masai & Bobby just don’t seem to like dynamic offensive players, who can create their own shot & get to the line. It’s so frustrating & boring to watch
What is there to understand? Raptors need shooting. Raptors drafted the best shooter in this years draft. Just because he hasn’t been hitting in literally 11 games of his rookie season doesn’t mean he won’t develop into a great offensive player.
Development is not linear.