>There are a couple of reasons for this. One is that the most compelling candidate otherwise, veteran guard Bruce Brown, is walking around the Raptors practice facility at the University of Quebec at Montreal gingerly and in flip-flops, the incisions from his recent arthroscopic knee surgery still covered by tiny bandages. He’s probably not going to be ready to play until late November or early December.
And tidbits:
>And Dick has put in work since, with Raptors assistant coaches camping in Wichita, Kansas, for weeks at a time, as well as team workouts in Las Vegas, Spain, Miami and Toronto.
>Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic says he can see signs of improvement that he attributes to the added strength and confidence that has flowed from him.
>“Last year when he walked in he could barely dunk the ball,” said Rajakovic, exaggerating slightly for effect. “And now he’s playing above the rim a little bit easier, he’s not shying away from contact offensively and defensively. I think it’s going to help his overall game, feeling more confident in his body that he’s capable of doing things. He’s a big guy … he can cover multiple positions. I expect a lot from him to bring the physicality and learn to use his body because I think he’s added around 15 pounds this off-season.”
>Dick should also fit with the starters relatively seamlessly on offence because he’s always been a willing cutter and mover. That, combined with his ability to shoot from distance — and the Raptors are desperate for three-point shooting after losing Trent Jr., their leading three-point shooter, in the off-season — should provide the Raptors’ primary ball-handlers more room to operate and more targets to pass to.
>“He’s doing a much better job of recognizing the spacing, recognizing windows where he can be and then to play off of his teammates,” Rajakovic said of Dick’s off-ball movement, and added: “He’s complementing our guys really well. He can space the floor really well. He runs in transition, in offence really well. And he’s a very good cutter. He does not necessarily demand the ball, but when he gets the ball, he’s also capable to make a play from there.”
jarface111
BBQ Yak Dick
heat_fan_
He should be the front runner
Our bench without him seems okay ish (Olynyk, Agbaji, Boucher, Davion M, Mogbo, Brown, Chomche, Walter)
subtlefine
I say give him a chance. May also be a good second unit leader
Marionberryvcherry53
It’s always made the most sense to me, even when Brown was healthy. I see Gradey as a guy who amplifies good players with his gravity and cutting, whereas it doesn’t mean as much for bench units who can’t exploit the gaps. At the same time, his own game rises with better players, but he just gets blanketed without other scoring threats.
Raptorsthrowaway1
Love this. This combined with a number of other factors point to this season being a development season and likely positioning for a 4 – 8 pick (lower if they trade Yak, not advocating for this) in a good draft.
There are still a number of fans hoping for this team to be .500 this year. If your enjoyment is going to be married to being a good team ….. you are going to be in for a tough year
Ballislyfe91
Dick is growing. Lfgg
Icy-Lime-9760
They are tanking, there is literally no downside to him starting.
8 Comments
Some actual news from Grange:
>There are a couple of reasons for this. One is that the most compelling candidate otherwise, veteran guard Bruce Brown, is walking around the Raptors practice facility at the University of Quebec at Montreal gingerly and in flip-flops, the incisions from his recent arthroscopic knee surgery still covered by tiny bandages. He’s probably not going to be ready to play until late November or early December.
And tidbits:
>And Dick has put in work since, with Raptors assistant coaches camping in Wichita, Kansas, for weeks at a time, as well as team workouts in Las Vegas, Spain, Miami and Toronto.
>Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic says he can see signs of improvement that he attributes to the added strength and confidence that has flowed from him.
>“Last year when he walked in he could barely dunk the ball,” said Rajakovic, exaggerating slightly for effect. “And now he’s playing above the rim a little bit easier, he’s not shying away from contact offensively and defensively. I think it’s going to help his overall game, feeling more confident in his body that he’s capable of doing things. He’s a big guy … he can cover multiple positions. I expect a lot from him to bring the physicality and learn to use his body because I think he’s added around 15 pounds this off-season.”
>Dick should also fit with the starters relatively seamlessly on offence because he’s always been a willing cutter and mover. That, combined with his ability to shoot from distance — and the Raptors are desperate for three-point shooting after losing Trent Jr., their leading three-point shooter, in the off-season — should provide the Raptors’ primary ball-handlers more room to operate and more targets to pass to.
>“He’s doing a much better job of recognizing the spacing, recognizing windows where he can be and then to play off of his teammates,” Rajakovic said of Dick’s off-ball movement, and added: “He’s complementing our guys really well. He can space the floor really well. He runs in transition, in offence really well. And he’s a very good cutter. He does not necessarily demand the ball, but when he gets the ball, he’s also capable to make a play from there.”
BBQ Yak Dick
He should be the front runner
Our bench without him seems okay ish (Olynyk, Agbaji, Boucher, Davion M, Mogbo, Brown, Chomche, Walter)
I say give him a chance. May also be a good second unit leader
It’s always made the most sense to me, even when Brown was healthy. I see Gradey as a guy who amplifies good players with his gravity and cutting, whereas it doesn’t mean as much for bench units who can’t exploit the gaps. At the same time, his own game rises with better players, but he just gets blanketed without other scoring threats.
Love this. This combined with a number of other factors point to this season being a development season and likely positioning for a 4 – 8 pick (lower if they trade Yak, not advocating for this) in a good draft.
There are still a number of fans hoping for this team to be .500 this year. If your enjoyment is going to be married to being a good team ….. you are going to be in for a tough year
Dick is growing. Lfgg
They are tanking, there is literally no downside to him starting.